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Iowa State University. College of Veterinary Medicine records

 Record Group — Multiple Containers
Identifier: RS 14/1

Scope and Content

This collection consists of records related to the College of Veterinary Medicine. Records include news clippings, annual reports, newsletters, brochures, publications, faculty and staff directory, catalog, "Education in Veterinary Medicine", Veterinary Practitioners Short Course records, staff newsletters, subject files, biographical files, cabinet meeting minutes, faculty meeting minutes, history collection records, centennial celebration records, oral histories, administrative records, and faculty papers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1879-2013

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Access Restrictions

Open for research.

Use/Re-use Restrictions

Consult Special Collections and University Archives

Biography/Profile

Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine was officially founded in 1879 under the direction of Millikan Stalker. Veterinary medicine courses had been offered since 1872, when the first senior class of Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University) graduated. Anatomy, physiology, pathology and veterinary science and practice instruction was given by H. J. Detmers. He resigned after one year and there were no veterinarians on the staff until 1877, when Stalker joined the faculty. The School of Veterinary Science was the first state-funded veterinary school in the United States at a time when veterinarians were trained in private institutions. The veterinary school began as a two year program and the curriculum was expanded to a three year program in 1887. By 1931, a year of pre-professional training was required for admission to the Division. The requirement was extended to two years in 1948. A reorganization in 1903 resulted in a four-year program, the first such program in the country. In 1898, the School became a Division with Stalker as the Dean. The Division was departmentalized in 1912 and later became a college in 1959, when Iowa State College became Iowa State University.



The veterinary program has been headquartered in several different buildings over the years. South Hall housed the school in 1879, then North Hall from 1881-1885. From 1885-1893 it was based in what was known as the Sanitary Building (Cranford Hall) on the current site of the Memorial Union. Other facilities at the time included a veterinary hospital (1885-1912) and a barn that served as a clinic and laboratory. The program moved into Old Agricultural Hall, now Catt Hall, in 1893 and remained there until 1912, when the much needed Veterinary Quadrangle was completed. The Quadrangle, now Lagomarcino Hall, consisted of four buildings connected by corridors with a courtyard in the middle. A fifth building to the north was expanded into the Stange Memorial Clinic in 1938, now Industrial II. The Veterinary Diagnostic Clinic was completed in 1956. By the 1950s, the Division of Veterinary Medicine was already outgrowing its facilities. After years of planning and securing funds, the College of Veterinary Medicine complex was completed in 1976 on a tract of land next to the Veterinary Medical Research Institute, south of central campus for $25.6 million. The College continues to expand with the building of the Livestock Infectious Disease Isolation facility (1999) and the expansion and renovation of the equine and food animal hospital (2008) and small animal hospital (2012).

Extent

29.89 Linear Feet (62 document boxes, 10 half-document boxes, 1 large flat box)

Items in related collections

RS 14/1/15. Henry Dale Bergman papers, 1911-1965 RS 14/1/11. Millikan Stalker papers, 1878-1961 RS 14/1/13. Charles Henry Stange papers, 1908-2008 RS 14/1/14. Charles Murray papers, 1908-1966 RS 14/1/18. Ralph L. Kitchell papers, 1941-1997 RS 14/1/19. Phillip Theodore Pearson papers, 1961-1989, undated RS 14/1/16. Ival Arthur Merchant papers, 1938-2009 RS 14/1/21. Richard Francis Ross papers, 1963-2006 RS 14/1/22. Norman F. Cheville papers, 1962-2016, undated

Processing Information

Released on 2019-03-19.

Title
RS 14/1. Iowa State University. College of Veterinary Medicine records, 1879-2013
Date
February 10, 2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
403 Parks Library
701 Morrill Road
Iowa State University
Ames Iowa 50011-2102 United States
(515) 294-6672