Skip to main content
College of Veterinary Medicine

Purdue Veterinary Student Receives Scholarship from AKC Humane Fund, Inc.

November 3, 2023

Kennedi holds up a small painting canvas with a paw print and stethoscope inside a heart during student orientation earlier this year
Kennedi Robinson, of the DVM Class of 2027, pictured during a painting activity during orientation, is one of the 2023 recipients of the Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship.

The AKC® Humane Fund, Inc. has announced the 2023 recipients of the Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship and one is a first-year Purdue veterinary student. The scholarship, which celebrates the human-canine bond, is given to students enrolled in courses of study that contribute to the well-being of dogs and the advancement of responsible pet ownership. The scholarship is named in honor of Sir John D. Spurling, founder of PetPartners, Inc., which provides pet health insurance to pet owners throughout the United States.

The Purdue veterinary student selected as one of this year’s five scholarship recipients is Kennedi Robinson, of the DVM Class of 2027. In announcing the 2023 scholarship recipients, the president of the AKC Humane Fund, Doug Ljungren, said, “These five outstanding students are the future of exemplary pet care professionals. Each one of them has demonstrated their dedication to higher education and a passion for animal welfare, which are important to the AKC Humane Fund. We are pleased to award them with these scholarships and are excited to see what they do in the future.”

The AKC Humane Fund awards $2,500 to each of the five scholarship recipients, payable as tuition assistance to accredited institutions in which each student is enrolled in courses of study focusing on the care of pets.

The AKC Humane FundSM promotes responsible pet ownership through education, outreach, and grant-making. Through its programs, the AKC Humane Fund supports Parent Club Rescue activities; assists shelters for domestic abuse victims that permit pets; and provides resources for responsible dog ownership education.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

PVM Professor Emeritus Jan Hawkins Receives Prestigious Award from ACVS

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) and the ACVS Foundation have announced the recipients of several prestigious awards, and one of the awardees is Purdue Veterinary Medicine Professor Emeritus Jan Hawkins, DVM, DACVS.  The ACVS Board of Regents selected Dr. Hawkins as the recipient of the Al and Carolyn Schiller Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his exceptional contributions to ACVS through decades of dedicated volunteer leadership and service.

Retreat brings together Veterinary Technology team members 

Members of the Purdue Veterinary Technology Distance Learning (VTDL) Program team recently traveled to Purdue’s West Lafayette campus for an in-person retreat where they could work together and explore new opportunities for teaching, learning, and student success. The two day retreat focused on strengthening collaboration between the program's remote and on-campus teams, and represented a significant milestone for the program.

Annual Purdue Veterinary Conference draws veterinary professionals from across the country for learning and fun

The 2026 edition of the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference attracted attendees from around the U.S. for three days of educational sessions covering an array of topics.  With the overall theme of “One Health: Modern Veterinary Medicine,” the conference September 23-26 on the Purdue University campus drew more than 450 veterinarians and veterinary technicians, plus faculty, staff and students. Sessions taught by a total of 65 speakers, including many Purdue Veterinary Medicine clinicians and veterinary technicians/technologists, enabled conference-goers to earn up to 23 continuing education credit hours.

Significant Gift from Jordan Smelski Foundation will fuel Purdue Veterinary Medicine research on deadly brain eating amoeba

A researcher in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology has received a generous gift of more than $100,000 from the Jordan Smelski Foundation for Amoeba Awareness and Mr. Steve Smelski to support research of the deadly amoeba Naegleria fowleri. Christopher Rice, PhD, assistant professor of parasitology and principal investigator of the Rice Research Group, leads a research team seeking to discover and repurpose drugs against primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but typically fatal infection caused by Naegleria fowleri.

Purdue veterinary student receives Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship awarded by AKC Humane Fund

The AKC® Humane Fund, Inc.℠ has announced the 2026 recipients of the Sir John D. Spurling Scholarship, celebrating the human-canine bond, and one of the recipients is Purdue veterinary student Tiffany Chang of the Class of 2027. Chang is one of only five students chosen for the scholarships.