Research requires funding. As state and federal research dollars have diminished, the College is extremely appreciative of donors who see the value of supporting both basic and applied research to further its mission.

In 2017, Jim and Barb Edgett received the College’s Philanthropist of the Year Award. The Edgetts established the Daisy Edgett Ophthalmology Room in the Veterinary Medical Center’s Small Animal Clinic to support the Comparative Ophthalmology Service, led by Dr. Simon Petersen-Jones, section chief and Myers-Dunlap Endowed Chair in Canine Health.
 
The room, named for the Edgetts’ beloved German Shorthaired Pointer who went blind from cataracts, means the College has one of the best-equipped veterinary ophthalmology services in the country. The Edgetts hope the room and equipment will help other family pets avoid blindness.

“We are extraordinarily fortunate to have friends and benefactors like Jim and Barb,” Petersen-Jones says. “They make it possible for us to provide the most advanced treatment for our clients today and to conduct research that will provide the ground-breaking treatments of tomorrow.”