Four-year scholarships will be awarded to nine students as part of a $3.6 million gift from the Idexx Foundation to the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine.
The contribution also will pay for veterinary college capital improvements, student mental health services and emergency aid to students in need.
Tuskegee University, a historically Black college, graduates an estimated 70% of African American veterinarians.
“This is the most impactful contribution that our beloved college has received in our 75 years of existence and recognizes our legacy of work training and educating students of color,” said Ruby L. Perry, DVM, MS, Ph.D., DACVR, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “This meaningful investment by the Idexx Foundation will help our students realize their dreams of becoming veterinarians.”
Jay Mazelsky, the president and CEO of Idexx Laboratories Inc., called the contribution, which will be dispensed over six years, “an investment … designed to ensure positive student outcomes through integrated support across the student experience.”
“The past 10 years have seen tremendous growth in the diversity of the pet-owning population,” Mazelsky said. “Ensuring all pets have access to the highest standard of care in their communities starts with advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in veterinary medicine.”
Yearly tuition at the Tuskegee veterinary college is more than $41,000. The full scholarships will cover that expense and more.
The Idexx Foundation gift is the latest and largest donation from the animal health industry to the College of Veterinary Medicine. In August 2020, Hill’s Pet Nutrition funded a $45,000 scholarship endowment. Two months later, Zoetis Inc. sponsored a $40,000 grant in partnership with American Humane.
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