Visionary $4 million gift to medical school sets stage for excellence

Two years ago, an anonymous donor stepped forward with the pledge of a $4 million estate gift in support of the endowed deanship position for the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. It was one of the first lead gifts for the new school and helped set the stage for other significant gifts that have helped shape its growth.

Now, with final accreditations in place for the School of Medicine and recruitment underway for its first class of students, the donor of that visionary gift has consented for the university to share news of his generosity. Stephen Sharf, a supporter of Oakland University for nearly 30 years, made that $4 million gift in 2008. In the days and months since then, he has seen the School of Medicine grow with the arrival of world-class educators, dedicated administrators and the promise of an exceptional group of first-year students.

Endowed deanships and professorships allow the School of Medicine to attract and retain the best and brightest academic and medical leaders, establishing a reputation for excellence early in its evolution. Endowed positions also help support research opportunities, providing professors and administrators with the resources they need to undertake new and innovative studies.

“As a university, we owe so much to Stephan Sharf,” OU President Gary Russi said. “He has been at the heart of some of our most important projects and initiatives. His support of the medical school is yet another indication of his passion for excellence and his belief in all that this university can achieve. With this visionary gift, he has made a lasting contribution to not only the medical school, but to a future generation of physicians and the people whose lives they will impact.”

As a former trustee, past director for the OU Foundation and member of the Varner Society, Sharf has been a long-time advocate for helping Oakland reach ever-greater levels of achievement.

“When I give money, it is to me like an investment. I want to make sure it succeeds. Putting a medical school within Oakland University takes the university to the next plateau. Only a few universities in Michigan have medical schools,” Sharf said.

Over the years, the former executive vice president for Chrysler has made a number of transformative gifts, including the establishment of the Ste

phan Sharf Endowed Scholarship for engineering students and the Stephan and Rita Sharf Scholarship in the School of Business Administration. He and his late wife, Rita, also provided lead funding for Oakland’s world-class R&S Sharf Golf Course in 2000.

With this gift to the School of Medicine, Sharf has helped lay a strong foundation for its future growth, providing the support needed to help Oakland University surpass yet another milestone on the road to excellence.

“The university is taking the right step at the right time. We need more doctors and nurses. OU is again at the forefront in training the sorts of professionals we need for the future,” Sharf said.

For the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, recruiting the most promising and gifted minds is at the top of every priority list. To that end, Oakland University Trustee and long-time benefactor Ann Nicholson has made a $500,000 commitment to establish an endowed scholarship for future School of Medicine students. The gift will provide for more than half of a student’s tuition cost and help ease the financial burden that so many medical students face after graduation.

“Scholarships are a fundamental building block for the successful establishment of the medical school,” Dr. Robert Folberg, dean, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, said. “The students in our inaugural classes must possess a myriad of skills and characteristics and meet a broad range of requirements to earn admission. The ability to afford medical school, however, should not be one of those requirements.”

Called the Ann V. Nicholson Scholarship, the gift goes hand in hand with Nicholson’s desire to increase the number of physicians in the region.

“The United States needs to be training new physicians now to meet the medical needs of our aging population and to oversee the increasingly sophisticated treatments for many health conditions,” Nicholson said. “A substantial portion of our physicians now come from abroad, but I don’t think this situation is, or ought to be, sustainable over the long run.”

Nicholson chose to support scholarships “because of the high cost of medical education,” she said. “I am concerned that those students who wish to become general practice doctors in order to help others are forced to choose higher paying specialties in order to pay the debts from their education. I hope my scholarship will reach those students.”

The Ann V. Nicholson Scholarship will be directed specifically toward students who take part in the School of Medicine’s Capstone program, which allows students to become involved within the community to address pressing health care issues. Students who participate during all four years of their medical school career will be eligible for a scholarship in their last year of school.

Nicholson hopes these experiences will translate into better training for students and better care for patients. “Medical students are smart, trained to think scientifically and to notice things,” she said. “Their skills as critical thinkers, not just as doctors, are needed in the greater community. They, in return, have the opportunity to develop skills in communication and cooperation with non-medical people, which should help them in all aspects of their future practices.”

For more than 16 years, Nicholson has been an enthusiastic supporter of Oakland University, its programs and its initiatives. As a trustee, her ability to assume leadership roles and rally others to give in support of important OU initiatives, such as the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, has been transformational.

“Ann’s gift will no doubt inspire others to see the profound opportunity for good that can come from helping to shape the future of even one doctor,” Gary Russi, president of Oakland University, said. “Scholarships are invaluable in helping us build a strong, creative, influential medical school that will have a lasting effect on medical education and the practice of medicine. This gift will help make lives better.”