LSU Veterinary School Giving Back to Its Students with Annual Fund Gifts

March 4, 2009

Fourth-year veterinary student Verna Serra (left) and Rouchelle Gage, radiology technologist, prepare a feline patient for a CT scan in the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Dean Peter F. Haynes, of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, has announced that the School will supplement each of its 20 endowed scholarships for students, guaranteeing each endowed scholarship holder an award of $2,000 from the LSU SVM’s annual fund this year. Gifts to the LSU SVM’s annual fund (Advance Veterinary Medicine Fund) provide unrestricted support for the Dean’s priorities, and these resources will be allocated to student support in 2009. The goal for the LSU SVM is to build up annual fund gifts from alumni and friends, so that in the near future each endowed scholarship is supplemented with a $5,000 annual award.

“The School of Veterinary Medicine touches people every day,” said Dean Haynes. “Our students benefit from an excellent curriculum taught by highly-qualified faculty; veterinarians benefit from a teaching hospital with Board-certified faculty in a wide range of specialty areas, and the community benefits from the superior service received from our graduates in the pursuit of their veterinary careers and through research conducted to understand diseases like cancer and heart disease.”

This scholarship initiative by Dean Haynes reflects the value the LSU SVM places on its student leaders. In 2008, more than $130,000 was allocated to students in the form of awards and scholarships. One of those scholarship recipients is Michael Ratcliff (Class of 2009). “Obtaining a degree in veterinary medicine is a stressful endeavor, and any financial assistance we receive helps us to not worry so much about our financial situation,” said Ratcliff. “This allows us to focus more on things such as patient care, indirectly helping us to become better doctors." Adds Verna Serra (Class of 2009), who received the Margaret Lucille Thomas Taylor Memorial Scholarship and the Salsbury Scholarship in 2008, “I am deeply grateful to the donors who support scholarships through the School of Veterinary Medicine. It is a true honor to be acknowledged for our achievements and efforts."

“It is vital that we provide educational support for these students, who will graduate and become fundamental members of the community,” adds Dean Haynes. “It is with the commitment of our alumni and private citizens who donate to higher education that we are able to support our students in this way. With only 28 veterinary schools in the United States, the LSU SVM provides a unique service to Louisiana through education, research, and service.”

Student support is a critical pillar of the Forever LSU campaign, an historic effort to acquire more than $750 million in support for LSU by the end of the year 2010. To find out how you can support LSU students campus-wide, and join the campaign for LSU’s future, visit www.foreverlsu.org.