New scholarships available for MU graduate students

COLUMBIA — MU graduate students from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources will have $250,000 in new scholarship funds available fall 2009.

Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer and processor, donated the money this month to MU’s “For All We Call Mizzou” campaign. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1 billion by spring 2009.

“Smithfield Foods recognizes the rising cost to recruit and retain high-quality graduate students,” Dennis Treacy, vice president of environmental and corporate affairs for Smithfield Foods, said in a news release. “We hope that our contribution to these fine colleges at MU will make it possible for them to attract the best students.”

From this donation, $150,000 will go toward scholarships for new veterinary medicine students, and the remaining $100,000 will go to fellowships for Agricultural Economics graduate students.

There will be two annual scholarships of $3,750 each for first-year veterinary students. The CAFNR Agricultural Economics scholarship is an annual award of $5,000 for one student.

Although Smithfield Foods has already donated the money, the funds won’t be available until fall 2009. The donation will be invested for one year so scholarships can be given from the interest earnings, said Beth Hammock, MU director of development for external relations. This ensures the longevity of the funds, she said.

This donation was a result of a May agreement between Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and Smithfield Foods.