Raj Singh (S’86, DVM’90, MS’91) has a passion for animal care. After receiving his degrees, he practiced veterinary medicine in the California Bay Area for several years before he and his wife, Melissa, purchased Sunnyvale Veterinary Clinic. They later opened a feline-only practice and a third practice, Oakridge Veterinary Clinic. The couple sold all three practices in 2020.
Raj and Melissa recently endowed a professorship to support College of Veterinary Medicine faculty and research, particularly related to veterinary dentistry.
“Because we are so thankful for the foundation Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine provided to Raj, we contacted the college and spoke with Dean Willie Reed, who just happened to be one of the vet school professors when Raj was a student,” Melissa comments. “It was an easy discussion about what would be best for the veterinary school, students, and pet owners of Indiana.”
“We knew veterinary dentistry was an important component of patient care and business success at the three practices we owned,” Raj continues. “Therefore, when Dean Reed recommended a professorship in veterinary dentistry, we enthusiastically agreed. We hope that graduates leave with the skills and knowledge to diagnose and treat dental disease, which is the most common disease in cats and dogs.”
This was not the first gift the couple gave to the university. The Singhs also started the Mahesh and Julia Singh Family Scholarship to recognize and memorialize Raj’s parents. “We are happy to see that the scholarship has contributed to the education of many students in the College of Science,” Raj says.
“Both of Raj’s parents had a Boilermaker-like work ethic, loved to write, and were excellent at math,” Melissa says. “They were compassionate, loving people and instilled that in our family, and we share this now with our Purdue family.”
Additionally, Raj and Melissa helped found the College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 1990 Memorial Scholarship in memory of Raj’s classmates who died from cancer and multiple sclerosis. “This scholarship helps us remember my classmates and encourages others to support Purdue,” Raj says.
Raj and Melissa extend a “Boilermaker-sized thank you” to Dean Reed and the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Clinical Hospital team, and the School of Veterinary Nursing for all they have done for Purdue, the state, veterinary medicine, and Raj’s career. “We also thank our families for being supportive and setting us up for success in veterinary medicine, business, and life,” Raj says.
