UW's School of Veterinary Medicine campaigns for multi-million dollar expansion

The School of Veterinary Medicine said it is still working to fundraise and spread awareness about its

Friday's canceled University of Wisconsin-Madison's Spring Football game was a fundraiser for the project.

"In the end, it's about doing things to get our story out and I think that's still happening," said Mark Markel, Dean for the School of Veterinary Medicine.

The money from Friday's game would have gone towards the school's

The campaign is raising funds for a $115 million project to expand the School of Veterinary Medicine.

"We're in a 35 year-old building. It doesn't seem that old, but it was designed before there were MRI scans and CT scanner equipment. We need to get those pieces of equipment inside the building to better serve people in the state," said Markel.

Markel said when the school was built it was designed to see up to 12,000 patients a year, the school now averages more than 26,000 patients each year.

"We have specialist that do everything you can imagine, but when you have a facility that can only manage a certain number of cases, it takes a longer amount of time to see those cases than you want," said Markel, "We have some patients waiting three to six months."

The project would double the size of the school's small animal hospital, and increase lab space for infectious disease research.

"We do research that benefits both people and animal health," said Markel.

If the school can raise $40 million, it plans to ask the state for an additional $75 million. Markel said when it comes to the spring football game he was most looking forward to the exposure for the project.

"Yes having the game broadcast would have been helpful, but in the end I'm hopeful we'll do it anyway," said Markel.

As of April, The Veterinary School of Medicine has raised more than $23 million of the $40 million fundraising goal. Construction for the project could start in 2020.