Submitted by J. Hudson on Wed, 25/02/2026 - 09:26
Statement issued from the Department of Veterinary Medicine on Wednesday 25 February 2026.
We are pleased and heartened by Monday's decision of the University of Cambridge’s General Board to reject the recommendation of the Council of the School of the Biological Sciences (CSBS) to close our undergraduate course and support the continuation of Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge. The outpouring of support we have received over the last 3 months highlights the importance of our course locally, nationally and internationally.
Since the announcement in December, we have worked diligently and tirelessly to constructively address each argument put forward against the future of our course. We thank the General Board for providing us the opportunity to put forward our own future vision for consideration, which included externally-appraised alternatives for the West Cambridge site, allowing us to co-exist and thrive within this future University vision.
On behalf of all our staff and students, we offer our immense thanks to all those who have taken time to provide statements of support, write to both us and wider members of the University, and speak to us in person. We also thank all our staff and students for their resilience and positivity during what has been an unprecedented amount of stress and worry. We offer our apologies to all those whose welfare has been affected over the last few months by the uncertainty this process has caused.
Over the last 12 months, an interim leadership team was put together by our Head of Department, Prof Mark Holmes. This team developed and presented an in-depth future vision for the Veterinary Course and Department. We will be discussing succession with the Faculty Board of Veterinary Medicine in line with the General Board’s statement as we prepare for Prof. Holmes' retirement in due course while the rest of the leadership team beds in. We recognise the challenges and difficult decisions that remain if we are to deliver our vision of world class veterinary education in a sustainable way. We look forward to working with the University, the General Board and the School of the Biological Sciences in a collaborative manner, where the Vet School contributes to the West Cambridge Development architecturally, scientifically and environmentally. Further analysis of the options we presented to the GB, supported by external experts, will be undertaken. In light of the amazing support received we believe that the University has an opportunity to fundraise towards a mutually beneficial future.
It must not be forgotten that the stress on our Department, staff and students in recent months and years has been unprecedented. Two Graces have been submitted by the Secretary of the Board of Scrutiny for the University Council to consider ahead of an expected vote of the Regent House. We sincerely hope that the University takes note of the multiple concerns raised about this process and the lack of transparency leading up to this outcome. We would not wish our colleagues in other Departments to endure the same experience that our staff and students have been through.
We look forward to working with our colleagues in the wider University in a collegial manner.