College of Veterinary Medicine – With Illinois: The Campaign for Illinois
student with baby deer in the clinic

With Illinois Campaign

College of Veterinary Medicine

Celebrating the impact of your generosity

On behalf of our entire college, I want to thank the thousands of individuals who generously enabled us to exceed our With Illinois fundraising campaign goal by over 50%!

Your support makes possible the transformative changes that have taken place over the past five years.

  • With renovated hospital facilities and state-of-the-art medical technology, we are providing advanced care for animal patients.
  • With 70 new scholarship funds, we are easing the financial burden of students.
  • With gifts for research and discovery, we are finding new solutions to fight infectious disease, cancer, and threats to environmental and reproductive health.

The College of Veterinary Medicine is on a trajectory of innovation and impact. Thank you again for partnering with us in advancing the health of animals, people, and the environment.

Peter Constable, Dean and Professor
SignaturePeter Constable
Dean and Professor

With Illinois Impact

As we mark the end of the With Illinois Campaign, Vet Med has been transformed by donor support.

Alma60977760 Dollars Raised

Donors10438 Campaign Donors

Puzzle Piece70 New Scholarship Funds Created

With Illinois Logo$15,000,000 LARGEST GIFT

EarthDonors from 49 States and 14 Countries

With Illinois Highlights

Your support has helped us continue to elevate the values that make Illinois distinctive: a sense of boundless aspiration, collaboration, and a global perspective.

students smiling

Eliminating Barriers to Becoming a Veterinarian

Financial support for veterinary students has never been more vital, as the national average for educational debt at graduation nears $200,000. The veterinary profession also faces challenges in attracting students from a wide range of backgrounds. New scholarships to attract students from the LGBTQ+ community and historically underrepresented backgrounds are making a difference. Dr. Stephen Hadley, creator of the Hadley Family DOVE (Diversifying Opportunity in Veterinary Education) Scholarship, put it this way: “Genuine care of people and pets is at the core of the veterinary profession, and that’s what makes it so unique. I would love veterinary practices to better represent the diverse communities we serve and embrace the uniqueness of one another for the future of veterinary medicine.”

Dr. Timothy Fan laboratory

Powerful Cancer Treatment

For decades Illinois has been a leader in veterinary cancer care. Through a transformational gift from Shahid and Ann Margaret Khan and their family, compassionate, high-quality cancer care will be made more accessible to more patients. Our strength in developing ground-breaking research and clinical innovations in oncology will expand through new faculty positions, a clinical trials center, and growing collaborations with human oncology research teams. The oncology program is known not only for research and innovation but also for supportive care for pets and their families, centered on the human-animal bond. In 2019 a state-of-the-art linear accelerator was installed. The college’s expertise and advanced technology are pivotal to the cancer research environment across the Illinois campus.

two vets using a stethoscope on a dog

Advances in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine

Thanks to the generosity of 1963 graduate Dr. Wes Bieritz, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital is introducing a new hemodialysis service for small animal patients. This treatment can be life-saving for animals with acute kidney failure and severe forms of immune-mediated diseases that fail to respond to traditional therapies. Hemodialysis can also be used to remove certain toxins and common household medications from the bloodstream after accidental ingestion, such as anti-freeze and ibuprofen overdose. The service is overseen by our small animal emergency and critical care specialists and is an exciting addition to the newly expanded and renovated treatment center in the Small Animal Clinic.

Wildlife

Gift to Wildlife Medical Clinic Supports Education, Care

Citing the invaluable work performed by the faculty and student volunteers at the Wildlife Medical Clinic – “the vital triage they perform on injured creatures; their education of the local public; and their example of treating wildlife humanely even when wild behavior is inconvenient” – professor emerita Julia F. Saville has made a gift of $1 million to the clinic.

The gift is the largest ever received by the program, which was founded in 1987 and cares for around 2,000 ill or injured animals each year.

A specialist in Victorian poetry who is also an enthusiastic environmentalist, Prof. Saville said, “My greatest wish is that the Clinic may flourish and that the respect shown for wildlife there may become a widely shared community practice.”

With Illinois Moments

Take a look at a few of the moments that have shaped the culture and character of Vet Med during the With Illinois Campaign.

group of people smiling

Made possible in part by an estate gift, the hospital’s acquisition of 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging capabilities in 2017 kicked off a long period of renovation and renewal throughout the hospital facilities.

small dog with IV in its arm

The Veterinary Teaching Hospital is able to help hundreds of needy animals get the care they need thanks to donations of nearly $175,000 a year to indigent pet funds. Learn more.

Coyne family, 4 people, smiling

Dr. John Coyne, a 1974 DVM graduate, and his family have supported veterinary student scholarships since 2013. They recently endowed two professorships and named the lobby of the college’s Small Animal Clinic. Learn more.

a midsize dog in a wheelchair for its back legs

The bond between John and Karen Teubel and their spunky dog Sneakers lives on through their thoughtful donation—a wheelchair to assist canine patients of the neurology service.

Sivicek and two others smiling

Thanks to the generous gifts of Richard P. Sivicek, the Wildlife Medical Clinic has a wonderful residence for its ambassador animals, including a bald eagle, hawks, and more! Mr. Sivicek has also created two scholarships.

Continue Your Support

Your continued support ensures Vet Med remains a place where progress and innovation can flourish. Find your passion and help us dream even bigger!

See Priorities

See More Impact

Philanthropy has benefited students, faculty, and staff in many ways. Browse the list below to learn more about how the With Illinois Campaign’s impact can be felt across campus.