Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Lowndes County donor is providing significant funding for a professorship in humane ethics and animal welfare at Mississippi State.
The $500,000 contribution from Marcia Lane was announced Monday [June 26]. Her gift will support collaborative relationships between the university's College of Veterinary Medicine and area animal sheltering organizations, said college dean Kent Hoblet.
"Ms. Lane has a real interest in and devotion to animals," he said. "She has rescued many animals and has a desire to create awareness of proper animal care and issues of pet overpopulation."
Lane's gift will be part of MSU's ongoing State of the Future capital campaign.
A California native, Lane relocated to the Black Prairie area between Columbus and Macon to provide adequate space for her dogs, cats, horses, a steer, and two donkeys. For veterinary care, she turned to Dr. Philip Bushby, a surgery professor in the college.
"Marcia Lane cares about animals and it is a dream of hers to truly teach those around her in regard to their welfare," Bushby said. "She goes to great lengths to provide opportunities to focus efforts in these areas."
The Marcia Lane Endowed Professorship in Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare will work to increase area adoptions of homeless companion animals. Statewide expansion of the project will be a long-range goal.
Also planned are:
--The development of an educational outreach program focusing on the proper care of animals and issues of pet overpopulation.
--Professional site visits for evaluating shelter designs, animal holdings and disease incidences, as well as behavioral counseling and spay/neuter assistance.
--Efforts to significantly decrease the number of shelter animals being euthanized.
"The animal welfare program led by the endowed position will create a 'win-win' situation in which valuable animals are adopted for lifetime care," said Hoblet. "In addition, it will ensure that the number of unwanted animals is reduced and that our students have a wealth of experience in clinical training."
Lane previously has provided financial support to spay/neuter programs of the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society and to Cedarhill Animal Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization in Caledonia.
"She associates herself with causes that have so much potential, and she always sets an incredible example for others," said Keith Gaskin, development director for the veterinary college.
"The professorship ensures that her life's work, both for animals and for veterinary students, will continue in perpetuity," Gaskin observed.
Established by the Mississippi Legislature in 1974, MSU's veterinary college is the only such academic program of its kind in the state.
The Lane endowment is an open fund in the MSU Foundation that may be increased through additional contributions. For more information, contact Gaskin at 662-325-3815 or kgaskin@foundation.msstate.edu.