Arkansas State University in Jonesboro named Len Frey as senior adviser for strategic initiatives and senior associate dean for its proposed veterinary college.
His primary role will be to focus on the operational side of the veterinary college and support the newly appointed dean, Dr. Heidi Banse, the university said in a news release. Banse, an associate dean at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, will start her new position on July 22.
Frey will begin his new position on July 1.
Since 2018, Frey has served as the executive vice chancellor for finance and administration and chief operating officer. He was involved in the early planning stages as interim provost in early 2023 and played a role in the decision for the university to move forward without a third-party partner.
Discussions of A-State operating with an existing graduate program began in 2019. However, the university decided that the most cost-efficient pathway for the university and future students was for A-State to operate internally.
The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the university’s plan to establish the College of Veterinary Medicine and to offer a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in July 2023. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s council on education is scheduled to visit A-State for accreditation in July 2024. The college has a targeted opening date of fall 2026.
“So much credit for the success of the College of Veterinary Medicine is due to Dr. Frey,” Calvin White Jr., provost and executive vice chancellor, said in the release. “In his role as interim provost, he took ownership of this initiative and we simply would not be where we are today without his diligent work and collaborative partnerships over the last two years.”
Currently, Arkansas does not have an in-state veterinary school. Lyon College in Batesville plans to open a veterinary school in Cabot, with the first class expected to enroll in the fall of 2025.
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