Capital Construction Project Showcase: Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Situated on a new site on East Campus, the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center’s 65,000 square foot facility replaced an inadequate and outdated 18,000 gross square foot building, which was constructed in 1975 and didn’t meet modern needs and biosecurity requirements.

Recognizing the state’s need for a new center, the Nebraska Legislature committed $40.6 million in funding through the Building a Healthier Nebraska initiative announced in 2012, with $4.1 million required in private donations. The original project budget was $44.7 million; the final budget came in at $36.7 million.

Construction began in April 2015, with RDG Planning & Design as architect and Sampson Construction serving as general contractor, and the project was completed in July 2017.

The Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center provides improved laboratory services for veterinarians and Nebraska livestock owners, and enhances the learning experiences of students in the Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine.

"With our new interactive spaces, we've created a state-of-the-art space for our students to study—as well as gain hands-on veterinary experience."

The facility includes diagnostic and research labs, animal labs, offices and support facilities. The Veterinary Diagnostic Center effectively addresses the emerging bio-containment and bio-terrorism issues associated with contemporary food and animal safety to meet and exceed American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians accreditation standards.

The center will continue to do research and offer necropsy, histopathology, virology, bacteriology, serology, toxicology and limited clinical pathology services. The increased space and new state-of-the art equipment, such as the new MALDI-TOF technology, will enable the center to more quickly and accurately diagnose disease causing organisms.