Ribbon-cutting launches Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Auditorium for College of Veterinary Medicine
Friday, Oct. 1, 2021
The new Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Auditorium at the College of Veterinary Medicine is the primary classroom for third-year veterinary students and serves as the principal space for all-college meetings, continuing education and after-hours activities. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — The newest learning space in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University opened its doors Oct. 1 with an official dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Auditorium provides the college with premier space for student lectures, seminars and campuswide events while recognizing a leading, global provider of animal health products.
In addition to the ribbon-cutting, the college hosted a group of about 15 Boehringer Ingelheim employees for a three-day campus visit, including engagement opportunities with faculty and students, presentations on research projects in the college and at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, and tours of the college.
The auditorium features 6,400 square feet of meeting space and allows for a private conference room configuration with tables in the back of the auditorium. The main auditorium has 220 seats, while the conference area expands capacity to 280 seats. Seating is designed to facilitate student-to-student discussion and collaboration. Microphones situated around the room promote interaction, and eight screens offer multiple viewing options for attendees.
The auditorium is part of an addition to Mosier Hall that includes an 1,800-square-foot atrium connected to Trotter Hall. An interior walkway overlooks the atrium and a four-panel mural that reflects the historic transition in the four mission areas of the college: exceptional teaching, impactful research, outstanding service and extraordinary graduates. The east-facing doors to the atrium serve as the new public entrance to the veterinary college.
"The Boehringer Ingelheim auditorium and atrium provide our college with beautiful and functional space for presentations and public gatherings," said Bonnie Rush, dean of College of Veterinary Medicine. "The auditorium is the primary classroom for third-year veterinary students and serves as the principal space for all-college meetings, continuing education and after-hours activities. We are thrilled to have this significant enhancement, now central to our college, thanks to the generous support of Boehringer Ingelheim."
"The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor and Boehringer Ingelheim share a history dating back more than 100 years," said Randolph Legg, head of U.S. commercial business for Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. "The collaboration with Kansas State University furthers our commitment to this community, where so many of our dedicated employees live and work, and to the future of veterinary medicine."
The auditorium project is part of a larger, strategic collaboration between the College of Veterinary Medicine and Boehringer Ingelheim that supports a strong pipeline of highly skilled veterinarians and continued innovation in the heart of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor. In 2019, Boehringer Ingelheim's U.S. Animal Health business agreed to donate $800,000 over a five-year period to the KSU Foundation. The funds are supporting interaction and collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim and students at the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, one of the leading animal health schools in the country.
The collaboration has created opportunities for Boehringer Ingelheim employees to train and present to students, and allow for additional professional development and learning initiatives between Boehringer Ingelheim and the university. Boehringer Ingelheim will be able to host training sessions, symposiums and events in the auditorium that will expose veterinary students to emerging trends in animal health as well as potential career opportunities.
