From Aron’s Desk

Friends, 

This week I had the great pleasure of attending the second annual scholarship luncheon, visiting with students who have received scholarships, and meeting with donors. Scholarships mean so much to students and the university. We want to make healthcare education an opportunity for all who are admitted and not just those with generational wealth. We have applicants who want to be at RFU in their hearts, but they get a better financial package somewhere else - they should follow their hearts and scholarships make that possible. 

This is more important than ever. With the cuts and deterioration in federal loan programs, scholarships have never been more important for our students. As a brief reminder, the Grad PLUS federal loan program was the prime source of loans for our students until it was eliminated in the “OBBBA,” except for students already in the loan program. The bill also redefined advanced practice nursing, physician assistant (PA), and physical therapy (DPT) to have lower loan caps than other degrees like MD and DPM. It is insulting to be sure and a practical issue because our country needs more nurses, PAs, and DPTs. We are not in agreement with this policy. This makes the healthcare shortage worse, makes it harder for people without wealth to go to school, and exacerbates the need for scholarships.

This year the university finished a $20 million scholarship campaign across all of its degrees. At the end of the five-year campaign, we raised $23.8 million (119% of the goal). Obviously, this was a highly successful campaign on which we will build. We have to do more. Although our endowment investment strategy is doing well, every $20 million in endowment yields about $1 million a year that can be used to fund students, and our students borrow more than $60 million a year. No one expects us to cover all of that borrowing with scholarships, and students will still be able to borrow, but we have a lot more money to raise for scholarships, and scholarships are our highest priority for fundraising. 

Being a donor is special. My family has created several scholarships over the years, and this year we created one at RFU in honor of my wife’s mother’s family, the Domurats. Alice and I are endowing a need-based, recruitment scholarship and we are giving an expendable amount to start the scholarship before the endowment reaches its full amount. We asked Alice’s mom, Mary, to design the scholarship. Mary has two feet that do not always behave themselves, and she has appreciated her podiatrists for decades. So, she designed the Domurat Family Scholarship, which started this year and goes to an incoming podiatric medicine student. I would describe Mary as “chuffed,” if one can describe a 90 year-old grandmother in such terms. There is a bond of sorts between donor and scholar that is one of the sweetest in humandom. I’ve watched donors meet their scholars: “I do not ask any more delight.” 

Creating opportunity is one of the most important attributes of education, which is why teaching is a special, challenging, and noble profession in its own right. Making education possible is one of the most impactful ways we can use money, and that is the point of creating a scholarship. Scholarships make education possible and a better experience for a scholar. That benefit continues in the future generations of that student, the patients they see, and the good works they do in their community. My thanks to everyone who supports our students!

Improving the wellness of all people with you, 

Aron