The School of Medicine at Detroit’s Wayne State University Monday announced it surpassed its $190-million goal in the university’s Pivotal Moments Campaign, which concluded Sept. 30.
The campus-wide campaign was launched in 2014 to raise $750 million. It was the most ambitious comprehensive fundraising effort in WSU’s history.
The School of Medicine passed its goal two days before the campaign concluded. The money for the School of Medicine will go to endowed funds for research, investment in the school’s faculty and leadership, and annual and endowed scholarships.
“The scholarship is a symbol of the social support we have as medical students,” says Arjune Dhanekula, a recipient of an award created during the campaign. “It really has reminded me to be grateful of where I am in life.”
Notable gifts supporting the medical school include $10 million from Mort Harris to support students in the Wayne Med-Direct program, which offers full scholarships to undergraduate and School of Medicine students, and $8.5 million from Mike and Marian Ilitch to create the chair for surgical innovation in the Department of Surgery.
More than 9,000 donors contributed to the university campaign, 5,200 of which were alumni and 330 of which were current or former faculty or staff members.