September 23, 2005

NC State Receives $20 Million Gift From RB Terry Foundation

North Carolina State University and the RB Terry Jr. Charitable Foundation today announced the largest private gift in the history of the College of Veterinary Medicine, a $20 million pledge to help establish a new veterinary hospital at the college.

The college will use the pledge during the next 10 years to support the planned $45 million Randall B. Terry Jr. Companion Animal Medical Center, after the foundation’s namesake, the late High Point businessman and philanthropist Randall B. Terry Jr.

“The College of Veterinary Medicine is one of several nationally ranked colleges and programs to be found on the NC State campus,” said Chancellor James L. Oblinger. “The college not only is a national leader in supporting veterinary education and animal health, but also is home to many groundbreaking research projects that support human health. This gift from the Terry Foundation helps keep the Achieve campaign moving, and is a giant step toward making the veterinary teaching hospital a reality.”

Despite being one of the youngest programs in the country, NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine is ranked 4th among the nation’s 28 veterinary colleges by U.S. News and World Report. Including Terry’s previous gifts, the RB Terry Jr. Charitable Foundation has contributed $24.2 million to the CVM. Terry, who died in May of 2004, was the publisher of the High Point Enterprise and co-owner of the International Home Furnishing Center in High Point.

The philanthropist became a long-time friend of the college after his golden retrievers were treated at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. He served two terms as president of the North Carolina Veterinary Medicine Foundation and chaired the first campaign for the college, as part of the Campaign for NC State Students. In 2000, he established a challenge gift to generate private funds for the new hospital and student scholarships.

“This is a transforming gift that enables us to do important things, both in facilities and programs,” says CVM Dean Warwick Arden. “This pledge goes a long way in helping to ensure our companion animal medical center is a national leader. Such a state-of-the-art facility will compliment the college’s outstanding faculty and students and provide them with an outstanding environment in which to promote animal health.”

According to Arden, the 122,000-square-foot medical center will roughly triple the size of the current Veterinary Teaching Hospital and allow for increased caseloads. The medical center, which is expected to be operational by 2009, will offer cutting-edge technologies from imaging to cardiac care, and cancer treatments to internal medicine and surgery.

“The commitment Randall Terry has shown to NC State over the years is a reflection of the power of the human/animal bond,” says Dr. Oscar Fletcher, past CVM dean and longtime acquaintance of Terry’s. “His great affection for his golden retrievers resulted in him becoming involved with the college and led him to encourage our leadership and advance the science of veterinary medicine in a significant way.”

The new medical center will allow the small-animal component of the existing Veterinary Teaching Hospital to become a center for outpatient treatment and animal wellness and will provide educational opportunities for students and practicing veterinarians.

“Randall Terry absolutely loved the people at the vet school and their ideas and wanted to help,” says Arch Schoch, the president of the RB Terry Jr. Charitable Foundation. “He was a great strategist.”