Posted December 5, 2002

IOWA CITY -- At the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, creating and offering more student scholarships is the highest priority within the university's current comprehensive campaign, according to Robert P. Kelch, UI vice president for health affairs and dean of the college.

Thanks to scores of generous contributors, the college has been able to award more scholarships each year. That's just one piece of good news shared with attendees at the College's fourth annual Scholarship Recognition Luncheon on November 15, 2002, at the Levitt Center for University Advancement. Scholarship recipients and contributors were able to meet and interact with each other, and to learn more about the value of student aid.

Jess Mandel, M.D., the UI medical school's assistant dean for student affairs and curriculum and a featured speaker at the luncheon, said, "Scholarships don't just defray educational costs; they also send the message that people believe in our scholarship recipients and in their success. A scholarship really is a gift with a tremendous multiplier effect."

Kelch said, "Scholarships are long-term investments with the highest returns you can imagine -- affecting not just the recipient, but everyone the recipient touches in his or her career.

"A few years ago, in the mid-1990s, we had no scholarship awards," Kelch continued. "Last year, the Carver College of Medicine awarded 200 scholarships, with an average award of $4,400 [per student]." Kelch explained that every $1,000 in scholarship assistance is really equal to $2,500-$3,000 in repayment when the typical interest rates on student loans are factored in.

The college wants to increase its scholarship endowment by $23 million, said Kelch. He added that in the 1999-2000 year, the college awarded $250,000 in scholarships, and in the current year awarded $885,000. Kelch said that one of new ean Jean E. Robillard's highest priorities as the medical college's new dean will be to further increase funds available for student scholarships.

Two UI medical students also spoke at the luncheon about what their scholarship awards have meant in pursuing their medical degrees. Travis Mattson, a third-year student from Alta, Iowa, and a recipient of the M.C. Mackin Memorial Scholarship, explained that he has received more than $11,000 in awards. "I am amazed at the sheer generosity and kindness of contributors," said Mattson. "It really does mean a lot."

Karen Hsu Blatman of Ames, Iowa, another third-year medical student and a recipient of the Naser and Catherine Payvandi Medical Scholarship, said, "Scholarships help ensure that we follow the career paths that are best for us and for society." She explained that many medical students finish school deep in debt and feeling unappreciated. Higher-paying specialties become attractive to them, luring them away from practicing primary care -- despite the country's growing need for general and family practitioners.

Hsu Blatman added, "I hope to become the kind of physician who represents a great return on the Payvandis' investment."

For more information on how you can create a scholarship for medical students at The University of Iowa, please contact The University of Iowa Foundation at 1-800-648-6973 or e-mail uiowa-foundation@uiowa.edu.

The University of Iowa Foundation is acknowledged by the UI as a preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university.

Following are images from the November 15 luncheon:

Robert P. Kelch, M.D., the UI's vice president for health affairs and current dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine, speaks to medical school scholarship recipients and donors at the scholarship luncheon held November 15, 2002.

Jess Mandel, M.D., the UI medical school's assistant dean for student affairs and curriculum, tells luncheon attendees, "A scholarship really is a gift with a tremendous multiplier effect."

Travis Mattson, a third-year UI medical student from Alta, Iowa, expresses his gratitude for the medical school scholarships he has received.

Raising $142 million for scholarships and other forms of student support is a major goal within the UI's $850 million comprehensive campaign, which will run through 2005 and is being conducted under the guidance of the UI Foundation. Named Good. Better. Best. Iowa: The Campaign to Advance Our Great University, the seven-year effort is raising private funds to help launch a variety of initiatives across the university, substantially increase the number of UI scholarships and endowed faculty positions, support new educational and research facilities, build the UI's endowment and fund outreach and service programs to benefit Iowans.

The UI Foundation is acknowledged by the UI as a preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information about the Good. Better. Best. Iowa campaign, visit its web site at www.GoodBetterBestIowa.org.

Contact Information

Shannon Miller
Director of Development, Carver College of Medicine
(319) 335-3305 or (800) 648-6973

Additional information about supporting student aid or the Carver College of Medicine at The University of Iowa also is available on this site.