ABOUT THE AABP AMSTUTZ SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

The Amstutz Scholarship Committee and the AABP announce the availability of scholarships for 2008. These scholarships are funded jointly by the AABP Amstutz Scholarship Fund and by the Eli Lilly & Co Foundation on behalf of Elanco Animal Health. In 2007 twenty $2000 scholarships were granted to American and Canadian veterinary students. The Scholarship Committee determines the dollar amount of the scholarships and the number granted each year. Announcement of the scholarship recipients is made at the AABP Conference each September. Funds are presented to awardees in attendance at the Conference but recipients do not have to be present to win.

WHO MAY APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS?

Applicants must be students enrolled in colleges of veterinary medicine in Canada and the United States. Applicants must be in their second year of the veterinary curriculum at the time of application. Students enrolled in other years of the veterinary program will not be considered for this award.

WHEN ARE APPLICATIONS DUE?

WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR AMSTUTZ SCHOLARSHIPS?

Applications will be evaluated for the overall interest of the applicant in bovine practice, involvement in bovine medicine and bovine-related extracurricular activities, ability to express oneself in writing, and insightful answers to the essay questions. Grades are considered, but do not make up the majority of the evaluation for selection of recipients. Membership in your college’s student chapter of AABP or Food Animal Club is strongly encouraged.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR 2008

Applicants should complete the following:

1. Your current cumulative school GPA through December, 2007 and your current class rank (i.e. 5th out of a class of 110 should be submitted as 5/110). If GPA is not calculated at your school, rank only will be adequate. PLEASE DO NOT SEND TRANSCRIPTS.
2. Give a biographical account that outlines your background in the cattle industry. Also list factors that stimulated your interest and involvement in bovine medicine and extra curricular activities. (3000 characters or less-including spaces)
3. Describe your plans following graduation from veterinary school. (500 characters or less-including spaces)
4. Answer the following question in 2500 characters or less (including spaces):  You have been approached by a 15-year-old student who is considering food animal veterinary medicine as a career choice.  What would you say to this student?
5. Answer the following questioning in 2500 characters or less (including spaces): You have been approached by a local media outlet to be interviewed about animal welfare in animal agriculture.  What is your role in addressing and shaping public perception of food animal welfare in the U.S. or Canada?
6. If selected as an AABP Amstutz scholarship recipient how do you plan to use the money from the award (500 characters or less-including spaces)?
7. Two letters of recommendation from either veterinarians or faculty members regarding the applicant’s worthiness for this award.

Completed applications and letters of recommendation must be received at the AABP office marked Amstutz Scholarship Application no later than May 31, 2008. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Electronic submission of applications through the AABP website (www.aabp.org) is strongly encouraged. Electronic submission of recommendation letters to the AABP office is also encouraged but an electronic application with a hard copy of letters of recommendation sent by mail to the AABP office is also acceptable. (aabphq@aabp.org).

If you are completing an electronic application and do not complete the application process be sure to save your work as a word document before logging off of the site. The saved document can be reinserted into the application form when you return to the application site. Your work will not be saved in the on-line application.

Following an electronic submission you should receive an electronic reply to your E mail address as indicated in your application confirming electronic receipt of the application. If you do not receive this confirmation within one working day please contact the AABP Office.

AABP Office
PO Box 3610
Auburn, AL 36831-3610

This Scholarship Fund is named in honor of the unique leadership role of Dr. Harold E. Amstutz in the maturation and development of national and international organizations in the area of bovine veterinary practice. A native of Barrs Mill, Ohio, Amstutz received his bachelor of science in agriculture from Ohio State in 1942. He was awarded his D.V.M. three years later from the same institution. He practiced briefly before becoming an instructor in veterinary medicine at his Alma mater, becoming a professor in 1957. In 1961 he became head of the department of veterinary clinics at Purdue University's then new veterinary school. He retired from full-time teaching in 1989.

Since the founding of AABP in 1965, Amstutz carried two full loads, one in academia and the other with AABP, excelling in each. He was AABP's first executive vice-president, previously serving as secretary-treasurer. Though the title has changed through the years, Amstutz's service did not. He is the one responsible for the grunt work of the organization, the details; he provided the glue. He retired from the position on November 1, 1993.

Dr. Amstutz is widely recognized as an authority on bovine diseases with special interest in bovine lameness and respiratory diseases. He has presented his work to many national and international groups and serves widely as a consultant throughout the United States. He has won numerous awards, including the Borden Award in national recognition for outstanding research in dairy cattle diseases and the National Gamma Award from Omega Tau Sigma veterinary medical fraternity. In 1986 the American Association of Bovine Practitioners established the Amstutz-Williams Award in honor of Harold E. Amstutz and Eric J. Williams to recognize the long and distinguished service of two honorees. Drs. Amstutz and Williams were the first recipients of this award.

Dr. Amstutz is a charter diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, honorary president of the World Association of Buiatrics, immediate past executive vice president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, member of the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Amstutz has served a major role in international veterinary medicine. He served the World Association of Buiatrics as first vice president (1966-1972), president (1972-1984), and honorary president (1984-present). He played an important part in organizing the eight international meetings of the World Association of Buiatrics.

Dr. Amstutz was chairman of the organizing committee of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine that succeeded in gaining recognition of the Specialty Board by the AVMA on July 17. 1972. He wrote the first draft of the constitution and By-Laws of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and was the first president of the college. His conviction that a broadly-based clinical discipline deserved recognition as a specialty by the AVMA was justified since it currently has the second highest number of active members of the 17 specialty organizations recognized by the AVMA.

Dr. Amstutz was elected secretary-treasurer of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners in 1966 when the membership totaled 250 and the organization's finances were in dire straits. Under his management, the membership has grown to 5,000 and the annual budget is in excess of $500,000.00. In 1989 he was appointed the first executive vice president of the AABP. The AABP currently has the largest individual membership of all the species specialty organizations in the American Veterinary Medical Association. Much of the success and growth of the organization has been due to the ongoing dedication of Dr. Amstutz. He had major responsibilities for the annual meetings, from recommending sites for future meetings to taking care of the myriad of details that arise during the meeting. For over 20 years Dr. Amstutz edited and published a very well-received monthly newsletter for the membership. He was an alternate delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates for the AABP from 1969 until 1994. He was a member of the Editorial Board of the Bovine Pracitioner, official publication of AABP.

Dr. Amstutz has served on the Board of Editors for the Merck Veterinary Manual for many years. He was editor of Bovine Medicine and Surgery and has written chapters for many other veterinary texts.

He has served unselfishly on many important school committees, including Admissions and Curriculum. He donated funds in 1988 to the SVM to establish the Amstutz Bovine Proficiency Award for students interested in bovine practice.

Harold E. Amstutz, DVM, was deserving of the Alumni Faculty Award at Purdue University for Excellence and retired with the title of Professor Emeritus in 1989.

AABP Amstutz Scholarship - DONATION INFORMATION

Enrichment Opportunities to Promote Bovine Practice Careers

The purpose of the AABP Amstutz Scholarship is to attract adequate numbers of well-trained veterinarians to enter food animal practice, in general, and bovine practice, specifically. It is necessary to develop and offer various educational enrichment opportunities to attract students to concentrate in the bovine area of practice and to produce a well-trained practitioner who is prepared to meet the needs of the 21st century. The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) has established educational enrichment opportunities in honor of Dr. Harold E. Amstutz and to recruit outstanding students towards careers in bovine veterinary practice and to provide them with unique educational experiences to maximize their preparation for bovine practice of the future.