Expanding education and helping local shelter animals, the Small Animal Education Center is the newest addition to the William H. Darr College of Agriculture at Missouri State University.
The animal education center, located inside the Darr Agricultural Center on Kansas Expressway, opened ready for classes on Aug. 18 and is staffed by student workers and graduate assistants.
What’s inside
Within the 10,000 square-foot space, the center provides resources and experiences for students involved in the animal science field. This includes:
- housing for dogs and cats adopted through the Polk County Humane Society,
- treatment area for physical exams,
- a research lab and a teaching lab with digital screens to display microscope work.
“Students learn low-stress handling, training, how to restrain animals and maintenance,” said Dr. Lacy Sukovaty, director of the college’s School of Animal Science. “This facility provides a lot of career prep and hands-on opportunities.”
Darr fund supports installation
Funding for this facility came partially from a $6.5 million gift in 2019 from William H. Darr and the Darr Family Foundation. It was part of the Onward Upward Campaign for Missouri State.
This grant money also supported the construction of the new AgAcademy for Springfield Public Schools.