$11 Million Surprise: Lyon College's Bold Move to Transform Shelter Medicine!
Lyon College announced it has received an $11 million donation from the Arkansas Animal Rescue Foundation (AARF) to create the Katharine Reese Shelter Medicine and Animal Welfare Program at its upcoming School of Veterinary Medicine in Cabot.
The new program will focus on shelter medicine education, research, and outreach, aiming to improve community health and animal welfare across Arkansas.
“This extraordinary gift creates a ripple effect that will touch every part of the state,” said Lyon College President Dr. Melissa P. Taverner. “We are proud to honor Katharine Reese’s legacy through a program that will transform how veterinary medicine serves shelter animals and communities.”
The donation will fund:
$5 million for an endowed professorship in shelter medicine and animal welfare
$2 million for additional faculty and academic support
$2 million for veterinary student scholarships
$1 million for classrooms, labs, and shelter facilities
$1 million for a mobile veterinary unit
Lyon’s veterinary school shares its campus with Cabot Animal Support Services, reinforcing the program’s community-centered mission. Shelter medicine has gained recognition as an essential veterinary specialty, and Lyon College aims to be a leader in the field.
“We are enormously grateful to the AARF for this remarkable gift,” said Dr. Eleanor Green, founding dean of the Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine. “This will be a hub for teaching, outreach, and research, directly impacting animal welfare across Arkansas.”
The gift also establishes a fiduciary trust to support ongoing shelter grants, spay/neuter initiatives, and rescue efforts.
“Kathy Reese’s lifelong passion for animals lives on through this program,” said Gail Arnold, AARF Board of Trustees Chair. “Through this collaboration with Lyon College, her dream of a better Arkansas for animals is becoming reality.”
Pending accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education, Lyon’s veterinary school is expected to open in 2026, with the shelter medicine program following soon after.
The announcement was made at CARE for Animals in Little Rock, a nonprofit that represents the kind of community organization the new program will serve.
