Murphy will attend groundbreaking of New Jersey’s first veterinary school

Gov. Phil Murphy is headed to South Jersey on Friday for the groundbreaking of the Rowan University School of Veterinary Medicine.

When it opens in 2025 with a class of 60, Rowan will have the first veterinary college in New Jersey and one of just two in the nation that offer Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Doctor of Medicine, and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees.

Boosted by a $75 million appropriation from the state shepherded by then-Senate President Steve Sweeney, Rowan is constructing a 100,000-square-foot facility.

Dr. Matthew Edson, the owner of Rancocas Veterinary Associates and a past president of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association, has been named dean.

Edson was elected to the Eastampton Township Council as a Republican in 2014, defeating Democratic incumbents; he lost re-election in 2018 as an independent.