Long Island University veterinary medicine college renamed for prominent animal rights advocates Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt

Long Island University's Veterinary Medicine College will be renamed in honor of Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt, the founders of North Shore Animal League America, under a $20.5 million agreement announced Wednesday.

The agreement with the Alex & Elisabeth Lewyt Charitable Trust will provide annual scholarships beginning in August. The university will also provide staffing at Long Island animal shelters and students will perform veterinary care and distribute pet food and supplies to those in need during free community outreach programs, officials said.

On Wednesday, students, staff and administrators stood outside the college's building on the Brookville campus and counted down from five as metallic letters reading "Lewyt College of Veterinary Medicine," glinting in the sun, were unveiled.

"It's the culmination of a dream that we knew was right for the university," Kimberly R. Cline, the university's president, said in an interview. "Seeing this up here means something not only for the students, but the faculty, and I think it resonates with what the Lewyts really cared about."

Alex Lewyt, an inventor and entrepreneur, and his wife, Elisabeth, were known for their advocacy for stray and abandoned pets and their commitment to a no-kill policy at their North Shore animal shelter, which was founded in 1944. Alex Lewyt was president of the organization, based in Port Washington, from 1958 until his death in 1988. Elisabeth Lewyt was chairperson of the board until her death in 2012, officials said.

The organization is one of the largest animal shelters in the country. It partners with more than 2,000 shelters across the world to provide animal care and adoption services. 

“With their strong devotion to Long Island, the Lewyts would be honored to have Long Island University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in their name,” Wendy McColgan, a co-trustee of the charitable trust, said in a news release.

'We are proud to be here'

Lara Pasternak, a third-year student at the veterinary college, said Wednesday that the name change helps solidify the status of the college, which began development in 2017.

"As a program we are still being built in order to cater to students to try to create the best program possible," said the Glen Cove resident, 37. "And now that we have this true, official name, it helps us feel like we do belong here, we're here as a school and we are proud to be here."

The veterinary school is one of about three dozen around the country. The 4-year program currently has about 100 students in each cohort, according to school officials. 

The investment from the Lewyt trust, officials said, will provide new opportunities for their students.

"It means that the community is supporting our vision and mission," said Carmen Fuentealba, dean of the college. "It's a name that we're proud of and it helps our students acquire additional clinical skills."

Fuentealba said the scholarships will help ease the financial burden for students, making it easier for them to enter specialties such as shelter medicine, which focuses on care for animals in shelters and similar facilities. Annual tuition for the veterinary program is $59,534.

The veterinary school graduated its inaugural class of 101 students last spring, amid a shortage of veterinarians, Newsday previously reported.

There were more than 88,000 veterinarians across the country in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median annual salary was $119,100 in May 2023.

Researchers forecast that demand for the physicians is expected to grow by 19% from 2023 to 2033, according to the federal labor department. The uptick can be attributed to increases in consumers’ pet-related spending, expanding treatment options and a growing, aging pet population, according to labor department projections.

School officials said the college has a waitlist between 1,200 to 1,300 applications. The veterinary school began taking applications in 2019.