CMU College of Medicine achieves 80 percent of fundraising goal

Central Michigan University is pleased to report it has achieved 80 percent of its $25 million fundraising goal for the College of Medicine. Kathy Wilbur, CMU vice president of development and external relations, announced recent financial gifts finalized this week have pushed the campaign beyond $20 million two years into a five-year campaign.

 

Pledges in support of CMU’s College of Medicine are dedicated to scholarships, facilities and operations. These investments demonstrate significant support for the college’s mission to fill critical needs for primary care physicians in central and northern Michigan.

 

“We appreciate our donors, including individuals, corporations and foundations, sharing our vision and interest in helping create a unique medical education model,” said Wilbur. “We have been building momentum for the College of Medicine as we continue to share the story of how CMU and our community partners will use an innovative curriculum to train the next generation of primary care physicians.”

 

The College of Medicine received 2,765 applications for its inaugural class by the Dec. 15 deadline. As selection for the inaugural class of future primary care physicians progresses, excitement for these students to begin their studies this summer is growing. A volunteer, grassroots capital campaign was launched in 2010, led by honorary chair Dr. Malcolm Field of Saginaw. W. Sidney Smith of Mount Pleasant and James C. Fabiano II of Saginaw co-chair the campaign, which includes regional volunteer committees working across the state.

 

“Today, if you ask your physician assistant or physical therapist where they received their training, you will hear many of them say, ‘CMU,’” Smith said. If you ask your kids’ teachers where they received their degrees, many of them will proudly say, ‘CMU’. When you talk to entrepreneurs and corporate business people about where they received their degrees, you will hear them say, ‘CMU’.

 

“In the future, when you ask your doctors where they received their degrees, many will say, ‘CMU’,” he said.

 

The College of Medicine has received more than 300 gifts through the Educating Today. Shaping a Healthy Tomorrow campaign. The five-year campaign is expected to reach its fundraising goal three years early, in time for the first class of students to begin courses this summer.

 

“Surpassing this goal will positively benefit the families of central and northern Michigan communities as we train new primary care doctors to practice in this region,” said Wilbur.