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UNC to Receive $1.5 Million Gift from Alumna
October 9, 2009
- Media contact: Nate Haas
- 970-351-1763 nate.haas@unco.edu
The University of Northern Colorado will receive a $1.5 million planned gift from Dr. Mary Jo Drew to create a distinguished professorship and memorial scholarship and provide funding for student research.
Drew, chief medical officer of blood services at the American Red Cross chapter in Portland, Ore., made the bequest to UNC’s College of Natural and Health Sciences. She earned from UNC a B.A. in Biological Sciences in 1979 en route to earning her medical degree.
"Each area of the country and mode of practice has broadened my perspective and underscored the vital role UNC played in getting me where I am today in my life and career," Drew says of practicing medicine in Tampa, Fla.; Little Rock, Ark.; Detroit; and Portland.
"I will always be grateful for the mentoring and friendships first nurtured at UNC and have a strong desire to continue this legacy by supporting upcoming generations of students in achieving their life goals through the best in higher education."
Drew’s gift will fund three areas, with $750,000 set aside to establish the Dr. Mary Jo Drew Biological Sciences Professorship to attract and retain distinguished faculty scholars, an estimated $525,000 for the William J. deAtherage Memorial Scholarship to provide financial assistance to pre-med students and an estimated $225,000 toward the Student Research Fund, an area of emphasis in the College of Natural and Health Sciences.
"Dr. Mary Jo Drew’s multi-faceted gift commitment will have significant impact on the college as a whole and the Biological Sciences program in particular," said College of Natural and Health Sciences Dean Denise Battles. "We are grateful for Dr. Drew’s generosity and her desire to support our students, programs, and faculty."
Added UNC President Kay Norton: "As a leader in her field, Dr. Drew represents what our students aspire to become. We appreciate tremendously her commitment and are extremely honored that she’s chosen to leave a legacy at UNC that will make an indelible impact on countless lives."
UNC is in the preliminary stages of a major campaign and the College of Natural and Health Sciences’ target in that effort is $7 million. Drew’s gift marks a major step in realizing the college’s target, Battles said.
