The Price is Right for Animal Education

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2009-11-26 09:00:00 UTC
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Today's teens may not know much about Bob Barker beyond the occasional Price is Right rerun on the Game Show Network, but he continues to be an inspiration for the next generation of animal welfare activists. The former game show host ended every episode with a reminder for his audience to spay and neuter to help end pet overpopulation. He never shied away from using his celebrity status to advocate for animal rights issues like fur coats in beauty pageants and elephants in circuses. Now, in his retirement, Bob Barker has been helping establish animal-friendly programs in higher education.

It's hard to find ways to integrate a passion for animals into undergraduate college coursework. Bob Barker is doing his part to change that. He recently donated a million dollars for a new animal rights professorship at his alma mater, Drury University. The position will not only teach respect for animals, but will help cultivate future animal rights activists.

Barker hopes to see the new professorship lead to a full undergraduate degree in animal rights, the first of its kind in the nation. Drury received a million dollars last year, too, to establish the Drury University Forum on Animal Rights. The university now offers a course on animal ethics as part of their global studies program.

Bob Barker is also a long-time supporter of animal law programs across the country. Earlier this year, he made a million dollar donation to the University of Virginia to help get their animal law program off the ground. He's funded similar initiatives at Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown, Duke, Northwestern, Standford, and UCLA.

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
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