Planning Ahead

“My mother and I can only hope that

the endowment to the medical program

will facilitate someone who can

put a stop to cancer

and these other

horrible devastating diseases.”

       ~ Kris Engelstad McGarry

The UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences will receive $2 million to fund the Ralph and Betty Engelstad Endowed Chair in Medicine, part of a $20 million gift from the Engelstad Family Foundation. An endowed faculty chair is the most distinguished position in higher education.

“Ensuring the medical school can competitively recruit and retain the highest quality teaching and research physicians are important to the future, and our goal has always been to bring the most talented faculty to the school. This endowment will provide the resources to do that,” said H. David Wilson, M.D., Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean. “The positive impact this gift will have on the students and faculty is immeasurable. We are so appreciative of the Engelstad family’s generosity!”

“The Engelstad family has made philanthropy a top priority as a result of the success they’ve achieved and the values they carry,” said Tim O’Keefe, executive vice president and CEO of the UND Foundation. This gift will go a long way to set UND up for an incredible future in terms of meeting the very real financial needs of its students and the institution as a whole.”

The endowed chair was announced at a press conference held May 7, 2007, on the UND campus.  As part of the announcement a short videotape was played of Kris Engelstad McGarry, daughter of Betty and the late Ralph Engelstad, where she eloquently stated cancer research as one of the family’s reasons for supporting medical school funding.

For more information on establishing endowments, contact:

Blanche E. Abdallah

Director of Advancement & Alumni Relations

Phone: 701.777.2004         

Cell: 218.791.3916

babdallah@medicine.nodak.edu

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