The AASV Foundation’s mission is to empower swine veterinarians to achieve a higher level of personal and professional effectiveness by:
- enhancing the image of the swine veterinary profession,
- supporting the development and scholarship of students and veterinarians interested in the swine industry,
- addressing long-range issues of the profession,
- supporting faculty and promoting excellence in the teaching of swine health and production, and
- funding research with direct application to the profession.
Scholarship opportunities for both veterinarians and student members are another area of significant funding by the Foundation. The AASV Foundation Hogg Scholarship was established through an endowment in 2008. This $10,000 scholarship is awarded annually to AASV members who have been accepted into a qualified graduate program to further their education after years as a swine practitioner. To date, 17 AASV members have received the Hogg Scholarship. The Foundation also offers a scholarship program for members seeking board certification from the American College of Animal Welfare awarding up to $30,000 per recipient. The applicant must have either a DVM or VMD with at least 5 years of continuous membership in the AASV. The Dr Conrad and Judy Schmidt Family Student Debt Relief Scholarships are awarded annually to 3 young swine veterinarians to offset a portion of their student loan debt. The intent is to relieve some of the burden associated with the significant financial cost of completing a veterinary medical education. One scholarship is funded through the Conrad Schmidt and Family Endowment and 2 by the AASV Foundation.
The support of AASV student members through the Foundation and significant direct sponsorships provides many opportunities. The AASV Foundation-Merck Veterinary Student Scholarship Program seeks to identify and assist future swine veterinarians with their educational expenses. Merck Animal Health provides $50,000 to enable the AASV Foundation to award $5000 scholarships to each of 10 veterinary students annually. In 2022, Zoetis provided a grant for a total of $20,000 to award a $5000 scholarship to the student whose paper, oral presentation, and supporting information was judged best overall during the student session at the Annual Meeting, a $750 award to the student presenter of each paper selected for oral presentation, and combined with direct support from AASV, provided each student poster presenter at the meeting with a $250 award. Elanco Animal Health provided $20,000 in additional funding enabling the AASV Foundation to award scholarships ranging from $500 to $2500 for 2nd through 15th place for the Student Seminar. The presenters of the top 15 poster abstracts compete for scholarship awards ranging from $200 to $500 in the Veterinary Student Poster Competition sponsored by United Animal Health. The David A. Schoneweis Scholarship is awarded to a student or students from Kansas State University or Oklahoma State University who participate in the student oral or poster presentations at the Annual Meeting. The Foundation also provides grants of $200 to $500 to veterinary students who complete an externship of at least 2 weeks in a swine practice or a mixed practice with a considerable swine component. Newport Laboratories contributes $75 per Annual Meeting student attendee (up to 135 students) to help offset the $200 travel stipend provided by the Foundation.
The ability of the Foundation to meet its mission is funded by a combination of both unrestricted and restricted assets derived from donations and fundraising activities. The primary fundraising sources are the auction at the Annual Meeting and Foundation golf outing. Multiple giving programs are in place to facilitate donations to the Foundation. The Leman Fellow, Heritage Fellow, and Legacy Fund programs all provide an endowment that invests the initial principal and only the interest, dividends, and capital appreciation are used to fund Foundation programs. Memorial contributions and direct donations are also available methods to support the foundation.
Thank you to all the organizations that directly sponsor Foundation programs, especially those that benefit AASV student members. These make a significant impact on the students and their education. Thank you to all who donate items to the annual auction, and to those who support it. Thank you to the many members who have made a commitment to support the Foundation through one of the endowment programs. Finally, thank you for considering future support to continue to build upon a strong foundation, and providing more opportunities to support AASV members.
Mike Senn, DVM, MS
AASV President