The first veterinary school in the State of New Jersey has received a $30 million gift from South Jersey business leader and entrepreneur Gerald B. Shreiber.

The veterinary school will be known as the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University.

State and Rowan University officials joined together on April 28, 2023 to announce the gift from Shreiber and to break ground on the school on the University’s West Campus in Harrison Township.

Shreiber’s gift is the third largest to Rowan University (and the second largest from an individual).

A fitting tribute to a businessman who has generously supported education, animal welfare and animal rights for decades, the Shreiber School is only the third named veterinary school in the nation. Currently, there are just 33 veterinary schools in the United States and only five on the east coast.

With the addition of the veterinary school, Rowan will become only the second institution nationally to offer D.V.M., M.D. and D.O. degrees.

The first class of 60-70 students is anticipated to begin studies in 2025, pending accreditation approval.

Shreiber’s gift will support scholarships to help keep the costs of a veterinary school education affordable for students in New Jersey.

A generous supporter of Rowan for more than two decades, Shreiber pledged $3 million in 2019 to establish the Shreiber Family Pet Therapy Program at Rowan.

In 2021, the New Jersey Legislature approved $75 million in funding to help support construction of the school’s primary academic and clinical facilities. The 108,000-square-foot building will include academic classrooms, educational and diagnostic laboratories, a teaching hospital and administrative and faculty offices.

“Animals help all of us live richer, fuller, more active lives,” says Shreiber, a proponent of adopting rescue animals. “I’m delighted and honored to help make a difference in veterinary medical education.”

Matthew Edson is the founding dean of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine.