Auburn University launched a new educational complex in Gulf Shores Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 24,000-square-foot Auburn University educational complex will offer veterinary care, aviation instruction, research administration and Alabama Extension support for that region. The centerpiece of the complex will be the Auburn Veterinary Specialists–Gulf Shores veterinary referral center, which is slated for operation later this year.
"This outstanding facility affords more Alabamians access to Auburn’s world-renowned faculty, innovations and discoveries, and it expands our capacity for transformational instruction, research and outreach,” said Auburn University President Steven Leath.
The new complex anchors Auburn’s efforts in South Alabama and will help with coordinating research among faculty and researchers on the Gulf Coast.
“Establishing the Auburn University Educational Complex is a giant step in the right direction for the future of education in our community and we couldn’t be prouder or more excited to welcome the Auburn Family to Gulf Shores,” said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft.
The complex’s 12,000-square-foot veterinary center will provide specialty veterinary care in surgery and internal medicine on a referral basis and will allow senior-level veterinary students to participate in two weeks of clinical rotation under the supervision of clinical faculty. The veterinary center offers six exam rooms, two operating rooms, intensive and critical care areas, a treatment suite and endoscopy room, a clinical laboratory, a pharmaceutical dispensing area, comprehensive imaging capabilities (MRI, CT, ultrasound and radiography), an infectious diseases isolation area, pet nutrition kitchen and separate housing capabilities for dogs and cats.
Also housed at the complex is the Auburn University Aviation Center, designed to provide aviation learning opportunities for K-12 students. The complex will also host unmanned aircraft systems courses to prepare students, entrepreneurs and professionals for such industries as mapping and surveying, precision agriculture and public safety.
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