Penn’s Veterinary School Earns Kresge Challenge
Thursday, October 27, 2005
PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has successfully completed the Kresge Challenge, a $1.5-million grant from the Kresge Foundation of Troy, Mich. The grant will be used toward completing the new teaching and research building, which was named the Vernon and Shirley Hill Pavilion in September 2005. The building is due to open in August 2006.
"The successful completion of the Kresge Challenge marks a huge milestone in the history of the School,” said Alan M. Kelly, the School’s Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “We are extremely grateful to all who contributed to this achievement as this prestigious grant will certainly enhance the environment for teaching and learning within the new building."
The Kresge Challenge, issued in June 2004, required that the School raise $13 million through 5,500 new gifts and pledges by October 1, 2005. The School met these criteria thanks to generous contributions from the Penn community, alumni, individual donors and various organizations.
The challenge was one of the largest in the Kresge Foundation’s history and, at the time it was issued, the largest ever for an Ivy League institution. The success of the Kresge Challenge completes a major component within the School’s $100-million Building New Levels of Excellence campaign. The Kresge Foundation, which strives “to promote the well-being of mankind,” offers grants to organizations whose projects involve the construction or renovation of facilities. All grants are made on a conditional basis, thereby providing an incentive to help applying organizations expand their fundraising capabilities.
Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the world's premier veterinary schools. Founded in 1884, the School was built on the concept of Many Species, One Medicine™. The birthplace of veterinary specialties, the School serves a distinctly diverse array of animal patients, from pets to horses to farm animals at our two campuses. In Philadelphia, on Penn's campus, are the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital for companion animals, as well as classrooms, laboratories and the School's administrative offices. The large-animal facility, New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square, Pa., encompasses hospital facilities for the care of horses and food animals as well as diagnostic laboratories serving the agriculture industry. The School has successfully integrated scholarship and scientific discovery with all aspects of veterinary medical education.
Visit us on-line at www.vet.upenn.edu