Bob Barker, Drury University alumnus and former host of "The Price is Right," returned to Drury on Oct. 27 to announce the establishment of the Dorothy Jo Barker Endowed Professorship of Animal Rights.
The school says the program, funded by a $1 million donation from Barker, is the first to be offered at a U.S. undergraduate university. It is named after the alumnus' late wife.
"As a result of this class, educators tell me that they expect similar courses to be offered at colleges and universities throughout the country in the near future," Barker said in a news release.
Later in the day, Barker spoke to students in the school's animal ethics program. That program was funded by a separate $1 million donation from Barker in February 2008, which established the Drury University Forum on Animal Rights, a multidisciplinary class designed to teach students about contemporary and historical animal-rights issues.
Patricia McEachern, director of the Forum on Animal Rights, will hold the endowed professorship position. In the new position, McEachern will work exclusively on the forum, including developing future animal-rights classes.
"The animal rights class is already offering students at Drury a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity," McEachern said in the release. "But there is so much more that we can accomplish."
