Make a difference in the life of a student | A Message from the Dean
Give to the Max Day is a statewide outpouring of support for thousands of nonprofits and schools across Minnesota, including the University of Minnesota and the School of Dentistry and is next week on November 18. This past year, we have focused our philanthropic mission towards several themes: student scholarships, digital dentistry, research, and capital improvements.
We are grateful for our donors and the generous gifts given that provide a variety of support in these areas. The Driven Campaign, which ended this past June, was a great success, resulting in over $27 million raised between 2011-2021. These contributions resulted in 31 new scholarships and $3.2 million awarded to students during this period.
We have learned that recruiting some of the best and brightest applicants to our program requires providing scholarships. In the 2019-2020 academic year, we distributed approximately $447,000 in scholarships and in the 2020-2021 academic year we increased scholarships to just under $750,000. Our long-term goal is to provide $5 million in scholarships for competitive recruitment and to meet student need. We hope to reach this goal by a combination of on-demand scholarships and endowments for long-term support.
New this year, any donor contributing $1,000 or more towards the Dental School Scholarships Fund or the Dentistry Fund for Achievement will become a member of the Dean’s Circle. I will lead the way with a donation to the Dental School Scholarships Fund and ask you to join me with a donation of your own on Give to the Max Day on November 18. Your donations will make a difference in the life of one of our students.