Supporting veterinary education in rural communities

As the Harvey S. Peeler Jr College of Veterinary Medicine (HPCVM) at Clemson University prepares to launch its first classes in fall 2026, it recently welcomed members of its inaugural class during an Accepted Students Day on the South Carolina campus to help prepare them for the start of their academic experience.¹ In a dvm360 interview, Steven Marks, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM, founding dean of HPCVM, discussed the surprise scholarship announcements and why it’s so important to support veterinary education in rural communities.

RELATED ARTICLE: Clemson University’s veterinary college meets its inaugural class

The following is a transcript of the video:

dvm360: What scholarships are being awarded to the inaugural class of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr College of Veterinary Medicine?

Steven Marks, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM: We're actually able to give all 80 students in the first-year class some scholarship money, but 6 students received the Darla Moore Scholars award, and that provided 6 full rides, which is tuition plus living expenses. Separate from that, we have an additional 2 full rides that are tuition only.

[The] 6 students were hand-picked by counties that Darla Moore selected within the Pee Dee region. They were told ahead of time that they were having a private meeting with me, and we surprised them. This gift was a partnership [with] the College of Education, so Dean Kristin Gehsmann, [EdD], worked with Darla Moore and her people. And then this gift was directed toward the College of Veterinary Medicine. So the students got to meet Dean Gehsmann. They got to meet Darla Moore, who Zoomed in to tell them how proud she was of them. She's an amazing woman. She is a true leader within South Carolina. This gift is really about educating students from rural areas of the South, and specifically, rural areas of South Carolina.

dvm360: What is the significance of scholarships awarded to students from rural areas?

Marks: We think it's important that students come from underserved areas because we think they'll return to underserved areas. Clemson is built on the foundation of servant leadership, so we will encourage our students to return to the community as leaders, as veterinarians—yes, because they'll be trained professionals, but also to go into the community as leaders.

This was a life-changing event for these students…. People hear “scholarship,” and they don't always talk about how much the scholarship money is for, but I think for these 6 students, this truly is a life-changing event. At least 3 of the 6 students are first-generation college students. So this is contributing, and hopefully these students will be successful, they'll return to their community, they'll be role models. This is really what the Darla Moore [Scholars of] Veterinary [Medicine] program is about: promoting rural education and promoting students returning to the community to give back, and hopefully, they'll pay it forward.

My hope is that students in that region will see how successful these students are, and they'll be role models, and they'll want to pursue career paths the same way these students did.

RELATED VIDEO: Milestone moment is a sign of progress for Clemson University