As we look forward to graduation on May 16, I want to share a little about the 106 members of the Class of 2010. Of those who recently completed a questionnaire about their post-graduation plans, the majority will be entering small animal practice, with smaller numbers entering mixed practice, equine, exotics, bovine, and swine practices. Forty-six reported that they plan to remain in Illinois.

I’m especially pleased that 27 new graduates will be entering competitive internships. Locations for small animal internships include the Animal Medical Center, Tufts, Colorado State, Texas A&M, Cornell, the University of Florida, the University of Minnesota, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Illinois, and specialty practices across the country, including the VCA specialty practice in Aurora/Berwyn, Ill., which will employ five 2010 graduates. Other graduates are entering equine internships, lab animal medicine programs, a zoo medicine internship, and a clinical pathology residency.

There is a direct link between our students’ ability to choose a career path that includes internships and residencies and the amount of scholarship support that we can offer them. At a time when the average educational debt for veterinarians at graduation is $120,000, scholarship support makes a tremendous difference.

This year we awarded nearly $350,000 in scholarships to more than 140 students. We would love to double that amount with the help of alumni and friends who value the contributions that today’s students will make as future leaders in the veterinary profession.

I salute the members of the Class of 2010, the faculty who provided them with an excellent veterinary education, and the donors who help make that education attainable through scholarship support. Together you all shape the future of veterinary medicine.--Herb