As part of the celebration of its 30th anniversary, the College of Veterinary Medicine Complex was named the W. W. Armistead Veterinary Teaching Hospital on August 15, 2004. The name was changed to W. W. Armistead Veterinary Medical Center on July 1, 2010.
Armistead was central to the creation of the college. As a consultant retained by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, he conducted a feasibility study on the establishment of a veterinary college and drafted the 1973 report that became the foundation for the new college a year later. As the college’s first dean (1974 to 1979), he selected the charter faculty, oversaw building construction, and developed the college’s educational program. From 1979 to 1987, he served as UT vice president for agriculture.