The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) recently received a generous gift which will fund a new scholarship for students pursuing the MBA / VMD dual degree.
The Robert Marshak-Vernon Hill Scholarship Fund will benefit those who wish to combine animal science with entrepreneurship in order to further the cause of a secure global food supply.
Recipients of the combined degree emerge into a field that has increasing demand for leadership and innovation – the business of food science. Degree recipients advance into careers in agribusiness, public health, research/academia, and government, among others.
Students pursuing the MBA / VMD receive training in the application of economically responsible strategies to the livestock industry. Vernon Hill, a 1967 Wharton undergraduate in business and economics, and his wife Shirley, have been longtime supporters of Penn’s veterinary medicine program. Previous gifts by the Hills have funded the Vernon and Shirley Hill Pavilion, a state-of-the-art teaching and research center; and the Penn Vet World Awards, which acknowledge those who have achieved breakthroughs in animal medicine.
The other namesake of the award, Dr. Robert Marshak, was the dean of Penn Vet from 1973-1987. Regarding the gift, Dr. Marshak said,
“It is our hope and expectation that the VMD-MBA combined-degree program, coupled with mentoring by superb faculty at the Center for Animal Health and Productivity at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center, will inspire graduates to seek careers in food safety and security in the global landscape… [the] gift comes at a time when increasing numbers of veterinary students are expressing interest in how veterinarians can apply their special skills and knowledge to help address the inter-related problems of world hunger, poverty, and food-security.”