Non Technical Summary
Kentucky and Alabama producers provide significant numbers of feeder and dairy cattle, sheep and goats and poultry to the food supply. Veterinarians provide the expertise needed to maintain a healthy herd or flock. However, the rural food/large animal veterinary shortage, addressed by USDA-VSGP, continues to grow. It is imperative that we find a way to 1) educate, support and recruit more students for careers in food/large animal veterinary medicine and 2) provide veterinary students ability and resources to practice food/large animal medicine in rural environments. The long-term goal of Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Kentucky programatic collaboration presented in this grant is to recruit, educate, support, and retain rural students to veterinary medicine who will return to their rural homes as food/large animal veterinarians addressing both the nationwide shortage and the Alabama-Kentucky specific shortage of food/large animal veterinarians. We will accomplish our long-term goal through programmatic efforts designed to meet 2 objectives: 1) identify, recruit, and retain students from counties in USDA Shortage Situations in Alabama and Kentucky successfully gain admission to a college of veterinary medicine, and 2) expand third or fourth- year CVM students to leadership and mentorship opportunities for students coming from Shortage Situations in Kentucky and Alabama. Specifically, we are proposing to create educational programs designed to educate rural high school students about careers in food/large animal veterinary practice, creating a new pipeline of students, while providing 3rd and 4th year veterinary students with soft skills necessary to enter the rural workforce.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
806	0840	1060	50%
806	0840	3020	50%

Knowledge Area
806 - Youth Development;

Subject Of Investigation
0840 - Fur-bearing animals;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems); 3020 - Education;

Goals / Objectives
The two objectives of this application are to 1) identify, recruit, and retain students from counties in USDA Shortage Situations in Alabama and Kentucky, supporting their efforts to successfully gain admission to a college of veterinary medicine, and 2) expand third or fourth- year CVM students' leadership and mentorship opportunities for students coming from Shortage Situations in Kentucky and Alabama.

Project Methods
An announcement will be sent to all third- and fourth-year Auburn CVM students seeking application. A selection committee composed of faculty members at the CVM will select ten mentors. Mentors will undergo training.Advertisements for the protege cohort including the timing of the two major programmatic events will be done. Advertising and eventual high school student recruitment will emphasize rural shortage areas in Kentucky and Alabama. The Key Personnel from Auburn CVM and University of Kentucky will serve as a selection committee.Hold the inaugural Pre-Veterinary Immersion Camp at the University of Kentucky.Hold the Pre-Veterinary Experience Day.At all events and throughout all major programmatic steps, assessment data will be collected and analyzed.A program year one wrap-up and debrief will occur.The schedule above will be repeated.Cohort 1 and 2 mentors will continue follow up with proteges and assessment data from cohort 1 and 2 will be analyzed and published.