(March 19, 2014, Lexington, KY) –The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (“TERF”) is beginning the new grant application cycle for the year 2014. Grant applications will be accepted for both scholarships and equine education initiatives.
With the 1120% increase in the price of college tuition between 1978 and 2012, and the student loan balance averaging $24,301 in 2012, there is no better time for a non-profit such as TERF to provide assistance to struggling students.
The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (“TERF”) is a non-profit charitable organization that supports and promotes equine education and research by sponsoring scholarships in equine veterinary medicine, as well as supporting organizations that are educating the public in the proper care of horses.
“The TERF Board of Trustees is personally committed to funding education and has had the good fortune and foresight to prudently oversee the original endowment dedicated to our mission, with the fund now valued at over $2 million,” said Herb Moelis, TERF Co-Founder. “We will continue to safeguard this endowment so we can continue to provide equine veterinary education scholarships, and grants for worthwhile equine advocacy.”
There are 30 Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the United States that offer a veterinary medical degree (DVM/VMD). To become a veterinarian requires, on average, 8+ years of post-high school college education. TERF recently awarded a total of $50,000 to support the Penn Vet Specialty Opportunity Scholarship Program, and the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine scholarships, to help promote careers in equine veterinary medicine.
Penn Vet scholarship recipient Lauren Duffee, V’14, received a $6,000 scholarship from TERF. “This scholarship will provide immense relief from the financial burden of veterinary school. In the face of a changing equine industry, I am sure this award will further enable the pursuit of my professional goals,” she said. “I am excited to be writing my first research paper on strangles, a common infectious disease of horses. Upon graduation, I will start an internship at Peninsular Equine Medical Center in Menlo Park, California.”
“The entire TERF Board of Trustees is especially enthusiastic about the new grant and scholarship cycle, now available online through our website, www.TERF.info,” said Dr. James Orsini, TERF Co-Founder and Penn Vet Associate Professor of Surgery. “We anticipate reaching more needy and qualified students at many of the veterinary medical institutions in the Mid-Atlantic area.”
Approximately 40% of the grants to date have been applied toward equine care, advocacy and retraining and 60% of the grants have been applied toward education and scholarships. Applications are offered online at www.TERF.info.
Penn Vet student Emma Gorenberg, V’14, also received a $6,000 TERF scholarship. “I feel that I have been learning from the Thoroughbred racehorse throughout my education.” TERF is proud to help enable students from all walks of life to improve the Thoroughbred racehorse’s life into the next generation.
About Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (“TERF”)
Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation, (“TERF”), formerly the Thoroughbred Charities of America (“TCA”) Endowment, is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to support and promote equine education and research by sponsoring scholarships in veterinary medicine and supporting organizations that are educating the public in the proper care of horses. TERF Trustees include TCA Founders Herb and Ellen Moelis, TCA Directors Amy Adkins, Gretchen Jackson, James Orsini, DVM, and TCA President Dan Rosenberg, former TCA Directors Kathleen Crompton, and Betty Moran, along with Margaret and Bob Duprey, Roy Jackson, Toni Orsini, Carol Zebrowski and Lucy and Tom Zungalia. TERF is co-chaired by Herb Moelis and Dr. Jim Orsini. For more information, please visit www.TERF.info
About Penn Vet
Penn Vet is a global leader in veterinary medicine education, research, and clinical care. Founded in 1884, Penn Vet is the only veterinary school developed in association with a medical school. The school is a proud member of the One Health Initiative, linking human, animal, and environmental health.
Penn Vet serves a diverse population of animals at its two campuses, which include extensive diagnostic and research laboratories. Ryan Hospital in Philadelphia provides care for dogs, cats, and other domestic/companion animals, seeing nearly 33,000 patients a year. New Bolton Center, Penn Vet’s large-animal hospital on nearly 700 acres in rural Kennett Square, PA, cares for horses and livestock/farm animals, treating 33,000 patients each year – 4,100 in the hospital and 29,000 at farms through the Field Service. In addition, New Bolton Center’s campus includes a swine center, working dairy, and poultry unit that provide valuable research for the agriculture industry.
For more information, visit www.vet.upenn.edu.