ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú

Dear Racer Alumni,

ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú needs your help.

During this 2025 Kentucky Legislative Session, we are asking the General Assembly to allow ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú to offer a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM). Currently, there is a statute in place that prohibits the University from offering a DVM degree - KRS 164.295.

Please contact your Kentucky House and Senate members and ask them to support and , and , which if passed by both the House and Senate, would amend KRS 164.295 and allow the University to offer a DVM.

where you can find your respective Kentucky House Representative and Senate Representative by entering your home address. 

You can contact your legislator via the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message for them and ask that they please vote YES on House Bill 153 and Senate Bill 113 and . 

Each legislator also has an email address listed on their individual biography page where you can send an email.

It is vitally important to our efforts that you please contact your legislator as soon as possible as this is only a 30 day Legislative Session, ending on March 28, 2025.

For more information about this initiative, please view our 2025 Legislative Priorities Document and watch our new  video.

We will continue to update you on this bill as it moves throughout the legislative process.

If needed, here are a few bullet points when contacting legislators:

• Please Vote Yes on House Bill 153 and Senate Bill 113 and
• This bill simply allows ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú to begin the process to offer a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM).
• According to the recent feasibility study by Deloitte, 80 out of 120 Kentucky counties are identified as either having a veterinary shortage or is an underserved rural area in need of additional veterinarians.
• ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú has been trying to obtain legislative approval to offer a DVM for over 50 years, however the statute KRS 164.295 currently prohibits this.
• There is a tremendous shortage and need for more veterinarians in our state, particularly lar ge animal veterinarians and especially in rural areas.
• House Bill 153 and Senate Bill 113 and  will allow ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú State to begin the process of assisting with the large animal veterinarian shortage, particularly in rural Kentucky.

Endorsements

• Congressman James Comer
• Senator Rand Paul
• Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) Commissioner Jonathan Shell
• Kentucky Poultry Federation
• Senator Rand Paul
• Louisville Zoo
• Starlight Racing 

Additional Endorsements

• Ballard County Fiscal Court
• City of Benton
• Calloway County Fiscal Court
• Carlisle County Fiscal Court
• Christian County Chamber of Commerce
• Christian County Fiscal Court
• Cumberland County Fiscal Court
• Crittenden County Fiscal Court
• Graves County Fiscal Court
• Green River Area Development District
• City of Elkton
• City of Greenville
• Cumberland County Fiscal Court
• Farm Credit-Mid America (Regional Office – Christian County)
• H&R Agri-Power - Mr. Wayne Hunt
• Henderson Chamber of Commerce
• Henderson County Farm Bureau Board District 2
• Henderson County Fiscal Court
• Hickman County Fiscal Court
• Kentucky Farm Bureau District 1 Boards (Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, Todd and Trigg County Farm Bureau Boards)
• Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation
• Kentucky Pork Producers
• LaRue County Fiscal Court
• Livingston County Fiscal Court
• Louisville Metro Council (Councilwoman Jennifer Chappell)
• Lyon County Fiscal Court
• Marshall County Fiscal Court
• City of Mayfield
• McCracken County Fiscal Court
• McLean County Fiscal Court
• City of ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú
• ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce
• ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú-Calloway County Economic Development Corporation
• ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Alumni Board of Governors
• ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Board of Regents
• City of Paducah
• Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce
• Pennyrile Area Development District
• Purchase Area Development District
• Todd County Fiscal Court
• Transylvania University
• Trigg County Fiscal Court
• Webster County Fiscal Court
• Westside Veterinary Services
• West Kentucky Alliance for a Vibrant Economy
• (WAVE) River Counties Agriculture Initiative
• West Kentucky Regional Chamber Alliance (alliance of chambers of commerce in the following counties - Fulton, Hickman, Graves, Carlisle, Ballard, Graves, McCracken, Calloway, Marshall, Livingston, Crittenden, Lyon, Trigg, Caldwell, Christian and Todd County)
• Among others …

Resolution passed by ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿ÚAA Board of Governors

On October 18, the 19-member ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Alumni Association (ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿ÚAA) Board of Governors voted unanimously during the Fall 2024 biannual board meeting to draft a Resolution of Support asking the Kentucky General Assembly to allow ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú to offer a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM). The passage of this legislation would thus allow the University to create what would become Kentucky's only School of Veterinary Medicine. At that time, a committee was formed to craft the content of the resolution. 

Committee members included ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿ÚAA President Scott Grant ('07, '08), Board of Governors members Brian Edwards ('06) and Josh Tubbs ('04, '06), and ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Director of Alumni Relations Carrie McGinnis ('20). Once the draft was approved by committee, language for the resolution also passed the full Board of Governors unanimously via electronic vote. 

The ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿ÚAA Resolution of Support was sent by President Scott Grant to all members of the Kentucky General Assembly on Wednesday, Dec. 18.