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Giving Opportunities

Your participation is the key to our success. Contributions from alumni and friends have been generous and have become vital. These gifts address many needs including improvements in our clinical facilities, classrooms, public areas, and students' lives. The following opportunities, while not a comprehensive needs list, identify some of the School's highest priorities for support.

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The best way to help the school through general support is to give to the Annual Fund. The School of Dentistry's Annual Fund provides unrestricted support to all areas of the school. The Annual Fund assists the School where state support is decreasing, helping in areas where the need is the greatest. Your commitment to this fund will strengthen the School through the flexibility of your gift.

Donations may be sent to any of the following fund categories:

  • Annual Fund
  • Batleman Memorial Fund
  • Children's Dental Endowment Fund
  • Dentistry Class of 1948 Dental Fund
  • Frank David Low Memorial Fund
  • Harry and Sara Lyons Fund
  • Tillie and Samuel Weinstein Lyons Fund
  • Virginia Dental Association Endowment Fund

With the ever-increasing cost of dental school, scholarships are need to offset tuition costs. Scholarships can be need-based or merit-based. They can reward a student considering a certain specialty, or someone from a specific geographic region. The minimum endowment level for a new named scholarship is $10,000, which provides a student with a $500 annual award, based on a five percent payout. Donors who wish to give less than this amount may choose to contribute to a scholarship fund already established or to the School of Dentistry Annual Fund.

Donations may be sent to any of the following fund categories:

  • Linden O. Alexander Fellowship Fund
  • Lewis R. Belote Fund (Dentistry Class of 1954)
  • William C. Brokaw Fund
  • George W. Burke Fund
  • Oliver Wendell Clough Fund
  • Willie D. Crockett Fund
  • Dentistry Class of 1977 Fund
  • William B. Fitzhugh Fund
  • Gay-Vaughan Fund
  • Edmond Theodore Glenn Fund
  • Eugene Harrison Fund
  • International College of Dentists (Virginia Chapter) Fund
  • Alexander Kaufman Fund
  • Sanford L. Lefcoe Fund
  • Harry Lyons Merit Fund
  • Preston D. Miller Fund
  • Psi Omega Fund
  • Richmond Dental Study Club Fund
  • Karen and Warren Sachs Fund (in Memory of Sonny Lefcoe)
  • Robert M. Saunders Fund
  • Christopher Wadsworth Memorial fund
  • F.B. Wiebush Fund
  • Bernie Wilson Fund
  • Robert and Ann Wong Fund

Each and every School of Dentistry Department and Division has a need for philantrhopic support. Donations allow Chairmen and Directors the flexibility to provide for their department where state funds fall short, especially during times of budget cutbacks. The effect of your gift is limitless; your donation may provide funding for: research, training, educational courses, outreach, new equipment, renovations, etc.

Donations may be sent to any of the following fund categories:

  • Endodontics "Molar Club" Fund
  • Oral Surgery Fund
  • Oral Surgery Residents Fund
  • Pediatric Dentistry Fund
  • Pediatric Dentistry Residents Fund
  • Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology Fund
  • Prosthodontics Fund

Even though you may not see your desired fund listed below you may still contribute to one of the following choices: Division of Dental Hygiene, Department of General Practice, Department of Oral Pathology, Department of Orthodontics, and the Department of Periodontics. Please make a notation when making your gift allocation.

Numerous proud alumni have taken it upon themselves to start a fund in honor of their graduation year from Dental School. Their purposes range from assisting the school with unrestricted support to scholarships and research. In honor of their 50th reunion, the Class of 1951 donated a $50,000 scholarship fund to the school and offered a challenge to other dentistry graduates to match their accomplishment. The Class of 1977 accepted and completed the challenge in time for their recent 25th reunion.

Donations may be sent to any of the following fund categories:

  • Dentistry Class of 1948 Dental Fund
  • Dentistry Class of 1951 Endowment Fund
  • Dentistry Class of 1954 Memorial Fund for Lewis R. Belote
  • Dentistry Class of 1975 Endowment Fund for George E. Kaugars
  • Dentistry Class of 1977 Scholarship Fund

The University and the School seek to attract, reward, and retain distinguished faculty, leaders, and scholars of national and international reputation. An Endowed Chair or a named Professorship are the highest forms of recognition provided by the University, and are essential in our ability to recruit and retain highly qualified faculty. Professorships are need in all academic units of the School of Dentistry. This endowment opportunity qualifies for state matching funds from the Eminent Scholar Fund. Gifts of any size are welcomed to strengthen professorships already established.

Gifts of any size are welcomed to strengthen any of the following established professorships:

Image of Drs. Schenkein and Macrina S. Elmer Bear Professorship
Current Recipient: Currently providing lectureships in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Paul Tucker Goad Professorship
Current Recipient: Dr. Harvey A. Schenkein,
Assistant Dean for Research

W. Tyler Haynes Professorship
Current Recipient: Dr. John W. Unger,
Chairman, Prosthodontics

Harry Lyons Professorship
Current Recipient: Dr. Ronald J. Hunt,
Dean

Norborne Muir Professorship
Current Recipient: Dr. Steven J. Lindauer,
Chairman, Orthodontics

Edward Myers Professorship
Current Recipient: Dr. Macrina, Director,
Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology

Gifts over $250,000 can be used to create a new named professorship. The following funding levels apply:

Required Funding Levels Annual Award
Professorship $250,000 $12,500
Distinguished Professorship $500,000 $25,000
Endowed Chair $1,000,000 $50,000

This opportunity brings outstanding faculty experts in given academic disciplines to the School of Dentistry. Lectureships are needed in all academic units. The minimum endowment level for a new named Lectureship is $50,000, which will offset the costs by providing $2,500 annually, based on a five percent payout. Gifts of any size are welcomed to strengthen lectureships already established.

Image of Dr. and Mrs. Cyril R. Mirmelstein Donations may be sent to any of the following fund categories:

  • Calvin Belkov Fund
  • James E. McIver Fund (Orthodontics)
  • Cyril R. Mirmelstein Dentistry Ethics Lecture
  • Eugenia Muir Lecture Fund
  • Norborne Muir Lecture Fund

Contributions to this category will support both student and faculty research. Only by asking questions can the answers be found. Your gift will provide funds for valuable research and new lab equipment. The minimum endowment level for a new named Research Award is $10,000, which will typically provide a $500 annual award, based on a five percent payout. Donors who wish to give less than $10,000 may choose to contribute to the Research Support Funds already established.

Donations may be sent to any of the following fund categories:

  • Dentistry Class of 1951 Endowment Fund
  • George E. Kaugars Endowment Fund (Dentistry Class of 1975)
  • Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology Fund

The Dental School was built in 1952 (Wood Building) and 1970 (Lyons Building). With our infrastructure averaging over 40 years old, we are in need of constant renovation. Once we complete renovation of a clinic, lecture hall, or replace outdated equipment, we have other areas that need improvement. We have many modernization projects currently underway and others that we can begin only with your support.

With an ever-growing list of renovations, the School of Dentistry must prioritize its needs. The school has identified preclinical laboratories as its newest renovation initiative. Even today, our incoming freshmen students will be introduced to a head on a stick-teaching tool and begin the learning process. This is an adequate approach to practicing basic dentistry skills but it is not ideal in today's face paced world of technology. We need to use technology as a tool to improve our educational programs and better prepare tomorrow's dentists.

Student working at a simulation station More than one third of all leading dental schools in the United States are utilizing modern technology within their preclinical laboratories. These schools have enhanced the educational experience through simulation. Simulation clinics allow first and second year dental students to gain experience with "patients" from the beginning. These "patients" are actual mannequins positioned like reclining patients holding dentiforms in their simulated jaws. From their first days in class, students learn the proper approach and positioning while developing their fine-hand coordination skills. This pre-clinical training will give our students a more realistic perspective from the start. The simulation experience will help students gain the critical thinking, and decision making skills needed for treatment planning in preparation for treating patients.

This bold initiative requires extensive renovations of the first and second-year pre-clinical labs and surrounding areas to create the available space needed for this endeavor. Once completed, the project will provide new preclinical bench laboratories, clinical support laboratories, and a 90-station simulation laboratory complete with networking and high-speed Internet access. Multimedia stations will be located in both the simulation laboratory and conventional lab for faculty members to utilize state-of-the-art instructional technology.

For more information about this exciting initiative or other capital needs please call Edward G. Kardos, Senior Director of Advancement, at (804) 828-4516 or email him at egkardos@vcu.edu.