Photo courtesy of Mike Smith, Meritcare photographer

When Bob Arusell graduated in 1976 with the first four-year M.D. degree UND awarded, he never expected to be connected to the school 30 years later, this time as a mentor to new classes of medical doctors. Nor did he anticipate giving back to UND as an assistant clinical professor with his wife, internist Janelle Sanda.

Janelle, a Velva, North Dakota native, graduated from the School of Medicine in 1981 and today specializes in internal medicine and breast health services while Bob, who grew up in Steele, ND, is a practicing radiation oncologist, both at Meritcare in Fargo.

It’s their experience in front of students that motivated them to establish an endowment to fund the Robert Arusell, MD & Janelle Sanda, MD Professorship in Medicine. They recognize the invaluable role faculty play in students lives and decided funding a professorship was an area where they could make a great impact to future students.

They will fund their professorship through stock and a testamentary gift to the UND Foundation.

“Dean Wilson and UND President Kelley both emphasize the importance of recruiting and retaining quality faculty to moving UND from great to exceptional,” said UND Foundation Development Officer Bethany Andrist. “The commitment Bob and Janelle have made will surely play an important role in the school’s growth.”