Alumni return and give back through scholarships

	Members of the Class of 1987 with Chancellor Michael F. Collins during Reunion activities.

As part of the School of Medicine  Reunion activities recently, alumni collectively donated more than $200,000 through a new Annual Class Gifts Campaign to help future aspiring doctors afford UMass Medical School.

“This year’s reunion classes have chosen to pioneer a new philanthropic initiative to ensure the best medical education remains financially within reach for all, and together they have made this inaugural Annual Class Gift Campaign extremely successful,” said Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medicine, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean of the School of Medicine. “They are celebrating their time at UMass Medical School by honoring current and future students with the transformative gift of scholarship.”

Combined, members of the classes of 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007 established six endowed scholarships and one current-use scholarship in honor of their graduating classes, in addition to three family endowed scholarships. These scholarships will be awarded annually to promising medical students based on financial need. Alumni have also been generous in supporting a variety of other needs throughout the academic health sciences center.

“Overall, Reunion was a big success,” said Diana Tsotsis, director of alumni and parent relations. “We had great attendance and alumni were very impressed with the changes to campus and the initiatives underway.”

More than 80 guests received a campus tour, including a hard-hat visit of the first four floors of the Albert Sherman Center. About 150 guests attended a cocktail reception and received school updates from Chancellor Michael F. Collins. In addition, Chancellor Collins and his wife hosted the classes of 1977, 1982 and 1987 for dinner at the Grenon House, the Medical School’s new home in Worcester./p>

The Annual Class Gifts Campaign continues until June 30 and alumni can continue to contribute. Results to date:

• 35^th Reunion, Class of 1977: $30,350 raised with a class participation rate of 47 percent
  Mary Tse and Lena Dohlman-Gerhart, chairs
• 30^th Reunion, Class of 1982: $86,725 raised with a class participation rate of 36 percent
  Nico Tsanotelis, chair
• 25^th Reunion, Class of 1987: $29,912 raised with a class participation rate of 40 percent
  Jim Hoye and Jay Sorgman, chairs
• 20^th reunion, Class of 1992: $14,700 raised with a class participation rate of 34 percent
  Christine Leach Carey and Lanu Stoddart, chairs
• 15^th Reunion, Class of 1997: $26,538 raised with a class participation rate of 33 percent
  Maureen Layden, chair
• 10^th Reunion, Class of 2002: $20,870 raised with a class participation rate of 40 percent
  Jeff Gold, chair
• 5^th Reunion, Class of 2007: $3,570 raised with a class participation rate of 23 percent
  Al Albano, chair