There are a number of areas we can choose to prioritize to fundraise for, and our residents have always been at the top of my list.
As most of you are aware, many of our residents graduate with large debts due to the cost of higher education, which limits their career choices after graduation. In recognition of this challenge, two years ago we launched on a goal of raising $1.8 million for student scholarships, which when fully funded will enable us to provide a scholarship of $5000 per year to each of our residents. I am very happy to inform you that this past year we achieved a milestone by reaching a goal of $1 million and establishing the first-ever resident scholarship endowment. This goal was achieved through the generosity of the Herb Gabriel estate and is a great boost towards creating scholarship endowments to support all our residents.
To fund the remaining $800,000 or six endowed scholarships toward our goal of $1.8 million, our alumni and friends can pledge or contribute $125,000 towards each scholarship. This can be done by individual alumni or friends with the opportunity to name the endowment after themselves, a loved one, or a respected faculty. Alternatively, alumni from a specific class may combine their resources to contribute this amount and name the scholarship endowment in honor of that orthodontics class.
In this regard, I am pleased to inform you that Dr. Tony Ellenikiotis is the first donor to step up to the plate with a pledge of $125,000 toward an endowed scholarship. As many of you know, Tony has been a dedicated faculty in the program for over 20 years giving his time and energy to the education of our residents with a resolute focus on excellence in patient care and finishing. Tony’s pledge stands out for another big reason — Tony is not an alumnus of UCSF Orthodontics or dental school graduate. Yet his commitment to the program and the residents is reflected not only by the unwavering commitment to the education of our residents, but also by his generosity by providing a scholarship toward their educational expenses. We are very grateful to Tony for being such a caring and loyal faculty in the program.
If you are interested in donating or pledging to an existing endowment or creating one in your honor or in honor of someone you want to recognize, please contact Lynnette Teti at lynnette.teti@ucsf.edu. Please remember that your generosity serves the program, students and faculty in many positive ways.
Our residents are our future and I encourage you to help us invest in them now.