A $10 million gift from the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation is launching plans at Colorado State University (CSU) to build a state-of-the-art equine hospital that will be designed to enhance the university’s ability to teach veterinary students, promote discoveries in equine medicine, and provide specialty veterinary care for horses.

“We deeply appreciate this generous gift from the Johnson Foundation and greatly value its leadership in supporting health and education across Colorado,” CSU President Tony Frank, DVM, PhD, said in a statement from CSU. “The foundation has been a dedicated supporter of university programs for more than 20 years, and this gift will provide a monumental step forward for equine veterinary medicine at Colorado State.”

The $10 million gift is the lead contribution in establishing the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Family Equine Hospital. The facilities will total 180,000 square feet at a projected total cost of $47 million.

“Our family foundation’s partnership with Colorado State University goes back more than 20 years, and we have long valued the institution’s national leadership in veterinary research, treatment, and education,” Lynn Campion, chairman of the board of trustees for the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation, said in a CSU statement based in Denver. “We’re honored to help further CSU’s admirable mission by supporting construction of this new equine hospital that will deliver cutting-edge equine research and treatment