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Pomerantz gives $2 million to endow UI Ophthalmology Chair
Posted June 15, 2007
IOWA CITY -- Marvin A. Pomerantz of Des Moines has made a $2 million gift commitment to permanently endow the Pomerantz Family Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa. Pomerantz, a philanthropist, businessman and civic leader, made the gift commitment to the UI Foundation.
The Pomerantz Family Chair will provide support in perpetuity to a distinguished senior faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Pomerantz said the gift grows out of his family’s desire to advance UI ophthalmological research, noting that the department is recognized internationally as a leader in eye-related research and treatment. "My wife, Rose Lee, and our family are deeply committed to supporting the outstanding work conducted at the University of Iowa,” Pomerantz said. “UI ophthalmology faculty already are making major breakthroughs in neuro-ophthalmology and other visual sciences fields, leading to better lives for generations of people around the world. With significant financial support, UI physicians’ scientific and clinical contributions will advance to an unparalleled level, and we are delighted to be of assistance in their efforts.” UI Vice President for Medical Affairs and UI Carver College of Medicine Dean Jean E. Robillard said, "Marvin and Rose Lee Pomerantz have demonstrated extraordinarily visionary leadership to the UI’s academic medical center, and indeed to the entire University, for many years. We are humbled by their generosity, and extend our sincere thanks.” Marvin Pomerantz earned a UI business degree in 1952, and in 1961 he established the Des Moines-based Mid-America Group, a regional real estate, investment and development firm. He is a lifetime honorary director of the UI Foundation Board of Directors and serves on the UI’s Henry B. Tippie College of Business Board of Visitors. He was co-chair of the National Campaign Steering Committee for the UI's successful $1 billion "Good. Better. Best. Iowa" campaign, and he is a past president of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. The Pomerantz family has previously established two endowed faculty chairs in the UI’s Henry B. Tippie College of Business and provided major gift support for the Pomerantz Family Pavilion at UI Hospitals and Clinics. They also committed funds to establish the Marvin A. and Rose Lee Pomerantz Chair in the UI College of Public Health, and to create what will eventually be the John W. Colloton Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine in the UI Carver College of Medicine. The family also committed funds toward the construction of a new facility to house the UI College of Public Health. In addition, in 2001, they made a $10 million naming gift for the Pomerantz Center, which houses the UI's Admission Visitors Center, the Academic Advising Center, MBA Career Services, the Executive MBA Program, the UI Alumni Association's Career Information Network and the Marvin A. and Rose Lee Pomerantz Career Services Program. Pomerantz also has made significant contributions to other UI areas, including the Marvin A. Pomerantz Business Library, Hancher Auditorium, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the UI Museum of Art. The Pomerantz Family Chair in Ophthalmology is the seventh named, endowed chair in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and the 32nd in the UI Carver College of Medicine. For more information about UI Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, visit its Web site at www.uihealthcare.com/depts/med/ophthalmology. The UI acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information about the UI Foundation, visit its web site at www.uiowafoundation.org. Contact Information
Flynn Andrizzi Additional information about supporting the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences also is available on this site. |
