Dentistry campaign gets $100,000 pledge

The Wichita State University Foundation has received a pledge of $100,000 from the Wichita Community Foundation in support of WSU’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) facility campaign.

Joining Delta Dental of Kansas, the Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation and the Walter S. and Evan C. Jones Testamentary Trust, the Wichita Community Foundation’s gift is another major commitment to the AEGD building campaign.

The structure will house the only dentistry education program in Kansas.

“We are appreciative of the enthusiastic support from the Wichita Community Foundation,” said Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO. “The AEGD program is vital to Wichita and to the state of Kansas. It is because of generous Kansans and organizations, like the Wichita Community Foundation, that we can provide WSU’s incoming dental residents with a state-of-the-art building and the tools to grow the program into a national model of excellence.”

Recruiting of students and faculty already has begun for the one- to two-year residency program. Beginning in fall 2009, the program will be located at GraceMed Health Clinic, a Wichita community health center that provides medical and dental care on a sliding scale.

Construction on the facility is set to begin the following semester. The building will be located on North Oliver Street, immediately south of the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

It will house the program and a community clinic, exclusively. First-year residents will complete training there before rotating to community and rural health sites.

The proposed cost for phase one, including land, construction and equipment, is $6.6 million. With half of the funds raised, the WSU Foundation continues its efforts to secure the remainder of funding from private sources.

Naming opportunities are available at all giving levels throughout the structure.

The largest of its kind in Kansas, the Wichita Community Foundation serves the philanthropic needs of the Wichita community.

The foundation is a strong and consistent supporter of academia and WSU’s urban-serving mission. On behalf of the metropolitan area, it has made several substantial contributions to all facets of the university, including various WSU campaigns, fine arts, athletics and numerous scholarship funds.

For more information about the AEGD facility and program or how to support them, contact Lynette Murphy, WSU Foundation director of development for the College of Health Professions, at (316) 978-3441 or lynette.murphy@wichita.edu.