Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) was one of five Indiana independent colleges announced as winners of the 2023 Ball Venture Fund competitive grant program. The 2023 recipients were chosen from a field of 39 proposals. The Ball Brothers Foundation (Muncie) established the grant and it is administered by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI).
SMWC will share $100,000 in seed funding for initiatives to stimulate creativity and innovation. The College will use its $25,000 to develop a pre-veterinary program for equine studies. The program will focus on hands-on learning for students to learn how to handle horses and other large animals.
Janet Clark, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs, expressed pride after hearing the announcement of the award. “We are grateful to the Ball Brothers Foundation and to the Independent Colleges of Indiana for this opportunity. We were pleased to be chosen from the large field of proposals that were submitted.” Clark added, “This will give the College the opportunity to add technology to our hands-on equine classes, which will boost the level of our pre-vet curriculum and prepare students to be successful in veterinary school.”
The program’s overarching goal is to increase the student pipeline for Indiana veterinarians and for the students to complete their undergraduate degrees with excellent training before their graduate school experience.
Edward Ferguson, Ph.D., and equine department chair was also pleased about the award. “With our stables located right on campus, students in this new program will be able to get hands-on experience with our horses that can be brought right into our classroom. This award will help us strengthen the learning experience for our students.”
Other recipients included the University of Evansville ($25,000), Valparaiso University ($25,000), Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ($12,500) and the University of Notre Dame ($12,500). The recipients were selected by a panel of judges, including Rich Spisak, Ball Brothers Foundation; Lisa Gomperts, Schmidt Associates; Liz Drury, United Healthcare; Cathy Waggoner, Design Collaborative; and Rick Wittgren, FORVIS.
SMWC is now accepting applications for the new Bachelor of Science in Equine Pre-Vet Medicine to start in August 2023. To learn more, visit smwc.edu/equinestudies or contact us at admissions@smwc.edu