They Said It Couldn't Be Done
Not every project changes a community. Some create jobs. Others fill empty buildings or improve a neighborhood. Every once in a while, though, a project comes along that changes how a city sees itself and how the rest of the state sees it.
The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine is one of those projects.
It wasn't that long ago that the idea seemed unlikely. Texas hadn't opened a new veterinary school in more than 100 years. There was resistance in Austin, questions about whether another veterinary school was needed, and plenty of people who believed Amarillo simply wasn't the place for it.
But, our community believed otherwise.
Business leaders, veterinarians, educators, local governments and private citizens rallied behind the vision. The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation made a significant investment at a time when it was desperately needed. Legislators from across the Panhandle carried the proposal through the Capitol. The community of Lubbock even joined the effort, backing Amarillo in what became a rare regional partnership to bring the school to West Texas.
One by one, the obstacles fell away.
The Legislature approved funding in 2019, and just months later, a groundbreaking was held at the future campus site. The first students arrived in 2021. Last fall, the school earned full accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association, validating years of work by faculty, staff and Dean Dr. Guy Loneragan, who has provided steady leadership from the school's earliest days. Last May, the school celebrated its first graduating class.
While all of that is exciting, the school's inaugural annual report highlights what may be its greatest accomplishment: delivering on the mission that inspired its creation.
"Many said it couldn't be done," Loneragan wrote in the report. "But 95% of graduates started their careers in a practice serving large animals and rural and regional communities. That is indeed a resounding success."
That number matters. Rather than simply adding another veterinary school, Texas Tech set out to address one of the state's biggest shortages by educating veterinarians who would return to rural communities where large-animal care is desperately needed. Its admissions process reflects that mission, placing an emphasis on applicants with established ties to rural Texas and New Mexico who are more likely to practice in those communities after graduation.
Already, the results are showing. Graduates from the inaugural class have spread across Texas and New Mexico, many choosing careers in rural practices. Meanwhile, the school has become a growing research hub, recording more than $5 million in research expenditures.
The school is also beginning to deliver on the economic promise local leaders envisioned years ago. A preliminary economic impact study by Texas Tech estimates the School of Veterinary Medicine supported 584 jobs across the Panhandle workforce region in fiscal year 2025, generated more than $76.6 million in economic output, and produced nearly $3.7 million in state and local tax revenue. Those are early estimates, but they suggest the investment is already creating benefits that extend well beyond the classroom.
The veterinary school has become exactly what Amarillo hoped it would be: an educational destination, a research institution, an economic driver and, perhaps most importantly, a solution to a problem that Texas has been trying to solve for decades.
Its story is also a timely reminder.
In recent months, we've spent a lot of time writing about disagreements at public meetings and the challenges that come when people pull in different directions. The veterinary school offers a different lesson. It highlights what's possible when we work together.
The late Jerry Hodge, who played a pivotal role in helping make the school a reality, captured that idea perfectly in You're On, Cowboy: "A pitcher can throw a perfect game, but he still can't win by himself. Somebody has to score some runs, somebody has to catch the ball, and somebody has to throw it."
When Amarillo works together, there's very little our community can't accomplish.
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