February 2008

HOST Program Enjoys Record-breaking Year

2007 was yet another outstanding year for the Help Our Students Travel (HOST) program. Thanks to the support of our generous alumni, the program was successful in matching all 92 students who requested placement with host families — a 100 percent match rate, and a record-high number of participants. HOST matches M4 students with alumni-volunteers during their residency interview process, and later connects recently graduated students with members of their new medical residency community. Visit the HOST Web site to learn more about the program, and to read selected thank-you notes from medical students who have recently benefited from participating.

If you’d like to be a 2008 HOST volunteer, or are a previous volunteer needing to update your contact information, please click here.

Save the Date: Medical School Reunion ’08 —
September 25 – 27

U-M Medical School Reunion ’08 is coming, and alumni/ae from classes ending in “3” or “8”, as well as all emeritus alumni/ae (those who graduated in 1958 or earlier), are encouraged to participate. This year, to better accommodate our many planned activities, and to assure our guests the best possible reunion experience, we are planning some exciting changes.

WHAT’S NEW: This year’s reunion weekend will include an additional day (Thursday); will take place earlier in the year (September 25 – 27); and will be held at a new location (Ann Arbor Marriott at Eagle Crest). Conveniently located off I-94 — and just minutes from the U-M campus and Michigan Stadium — the newly-renovated Ann Arbor Marriott at Eagle Crest is set amid 135 acres of championship golfing and spectacular views of Ford Lake. Completely updated in 2007, the Ann Arbor Marriott features 236 luxury guest rooms — each with deluxe bedding and sleek, stylish furniture. In addition, the Ann Arbor Marriott features a full-service, on-site executive conference center and a new state-of-the-art fitness facility.

We believe the new location will provide a more spacious and elegant setting for our reunion activities, and offer the added benefit and convenience of having all of our attendees (and events) together in one location. Full Reunion ’08 details, as well as registration information, will be mailed to reunion-eligible alumni early this spring. If you are interested in helping plan for this event, please contact Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Julie Antis at (734) 998-7703 or antisj@umich.edu.

The Leaders and Best are coming to the Sunshine State!

All U-M alumni are invited to join President Mary Sue Coleman and world-class faculty members from the University of Michigan for this year’s Michigan Difference Seminars in Florida. The seminars, to be held in Sarasota and Naples, offer a great opportunity to connect with Michigan friends and alumni in the area, while attending lectures by leading faculty and enjoying an opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session with Coleman.

The Florida seminars will take place as follows:

Thursday, February 7, 2008 — Hyatt Sarasota
Friday, February 8, 2008 — Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club

For more information, or to register, please visit the Michigan Difference Seminars Web site or send an e-mail to FloridaSeminars@umich.edu.

Video Podcast: “Our Global Challenge” featuring Andrew Craig, M.D.

In the latest edition of an ongoing video podcast (or “vodcast”) series featuring Medical School success stories, Andrew Haig, M.D., a professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, discusses how he is partnering with the Liberian government to tackle problems of disability in that country. To view the vodcast, click here, then click the “play” button in the video window.

Note: This film must be viewed with Adobe Flash Player. If you are using Internet Explorer and do not have Flash Player installed, you may see a yellow bar at the top of the page. Click the bar and follow the instructions to install.

Ways of Giving: Two Great Opportunities to Maximize Your Medical School Gift

Maintaining and enhancing the quality of our Medical School depends upon our ability to recruit the very best medical students, and to provide them with the finest training. Support from generous benefactors that fosters the very best in medical research and education is playing an increasingly crucial role in making that possible.

Right now, the U-M Medical School is highlighting two outstanding giving opportunities, including:

The President’s Scholarship Challenge: To encourage additional support for graduate/professional scholarships — including Medical School scholarships — President Mary Sue Coleman recently committed $20 million in President’s Office discretionary funds to provide a 1-to-2 match for all new scholarship gifts made between September 1, 2007, and December 31, 2008 (or until matching funds are depleted). Since the President’s Challenge was established, the Medical School has benefited from approximately $3.8 million in additional scholarship funding, including the following new named scholarships:

The Ernest G. and Audrey Brookfield Scholarship
The Craig/Denhart Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Fannie and Alegro J. Godley, M.D., Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Marvin Gordon, M.D., and Sylvia Gordon Scholarship
The Robert D. and Maxine B. Greenberg Scholarship Fund
The Kheterpal Family Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Sylvia M. Kosciolek, M.D., Scholarship Fund
The Trina and Michael Johns Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Inel Lewis/Fitzbutler Jones Society Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Ka-Shui Lo, M.D., Scholarship Fund
The Jacquelyn G. Lockhart-Crew, M.D., Scholarship Fund
The Dr. Phil L. Marsh Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Kenneth D. McClatchey, M.D., Endowed Scholarship Fund
The William E. and Marian D. Pearson Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Margaret B. Pittman-Hadley Endowed Scholarship Fund
The Dr. Jack F. Ross Scholarship Fund
The Saltman Family Scholarship Fund
The Oscar D. Schwartz, M.D., Scholarship Fund
The Lloyd A. Marks, M.D., and Janice Siegel Foundation Inc. Scholarship Fund
The Kenneth J. Sobeski Scholarship Fund
The Gail and Floyd S. Tukel, M.D., Family Endowed Fund
The Karen Ann Welke Scholarship Fund
The Dale L. Williams, M.D., Family Medicine Endowed Fund
The Woolliscroft Family Scholarship Fund

For more information about the President’s Scholarship Challenge, visit Ways of Giving, or contact Director of Alumni Relations BJ Bess at bjbess@umich.edu or (734) 998-6044.

Michigan Endowment Return Strategy: The U-M recently received special permission from the Internal Revenue Service to invest charitable remainder trust assets alongside its endowment funds within its highly diversified, long-term portfolio. This new program will provide Medical School benefactors an opportunity to increase the power of their philanthropy, while enhancing personal returns from their planned gifts. For more information, visit the U-M Office of Planned Giving Michigan Endowment Return Strategy Web page, or contact Director of Alumni Relations BJ Bess at bjbess@umich.edu or (734) 998-6044.