Kansas City University College of Dental Medicine Nears $30M in Fundraising

KANSAS CITY, MO – In just four months since announcing plans for a new College of Dental Medicine (CDM) on its Joplin, MO, campus, Kansas City University (KCU) has now secured three-quarters of its $40 million philanthropic goal. This fundraising includes a recently announced pledge of $10-million from the Joplin Regional Medical School Alliance (JRMSA); a $10-million gift from Harry M. Cornell; a $6-million gift from The Sunderland Foundation; and gifts from Neosho banker Rudy Farber, The Farber Foundation and Larry McIntire, DO. Additionally, the University Board of Trustees has committed $40 million towards the $80-million project. The KCU College of Dental Medicine will provide an opportunity to educate dental students to meet the critical oral health-care needs in the surrounding underserved region of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

“KCU is proud to have reached this milestone so quickly and is grateful to these generous benefactors for their support of this important effort,” says Marc B. Hahn, DO, president and CEO of KCU. “The four-state area faces an oral health care crisis and a troubling shortage of dentists. Through this new college of dental medicine, we hope to expand access to oral health care for those who need it most.”

Kansas City University Dental School

In 2015, the community based foundation JRMSA helped to raise over $40 million to support the construction of KCU’s Farber-McIntire Campus (KCU-Joplin) and the university’s second College of Osteopathic Medicine location.

“Alliance members, donors, and the community at-large retain a vital interest in the new medical school and its students,” says McIntire, president of JRMSA. “KCU’s recent efforts to develop a KCU College of Dental Medicine has been embraced as an important part of our mission. The success of KCU’s medical school campus in Joplin contributes greatly to the confidence that the College of Dental Medicine on the same campus will also be successful.”

A $6-million grant from The Sunderland Foundation was the lead gift to KCU to develop the CDM. This gift will be commemorated with The Sunderland Skyway Bridge, an elevated walkway connecting KCU’s future College of Dental Medicine with its current College of Osteopathic Medicine on the Joplin, MO, campus.

“We focus on the bricks and mortar because they represent the rich history of our company, Ash Grove Cement,” says Kent Sunderland, president of the Sunderland Foundation Board of Trustees. “Yet we keep in mind the people who will be served in those facilities and we are happy to support an initiative that will result in people in the Joplin region living healthier lives.”

Mr. Cornell’s $10-million gift is the second donation to KCU in the past five years. His first gift of $10 million was instrumental in the development of the KCU-Joplin College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mr. Cornell’s generosity will be honored by naming the new College of Dental Medicine building The Harry M. Cornell Dental Education Center.

According to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the majority of counties within a 125-mile radius of Joplin are Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (DHPSAs). In Missouri, 376 dentists are currently needed to remove the DHPSA designation, with Arkansas needing 105 dentists, Kansas needing 103, and Oklahoma requiring 166. What’s more, there are currently only three dental schools in the region: two in Missouri and one in Oklahoma, with none in either Kansas or Arkansas.

“Two years ago, we answered the call to meet the growing primary care and rural health needs of the region by establishing a medical school campus in Joplin,” says Hahn. “We know that oral health profoundly impacts overall health. Having a CDM physically located next to our College of Osteopathic Medicine provides a tremendous opportunity to integrate oral health into overall health to make the broadest impact and improve the well-being of the communities we serve.”

KCU anticipates breaking ground on the facility in 2020, with plans to welcome the first class of 80 students in 2022. A nationwide search for a dean of the College of Dental Medicine is currently underway.

Featured

  • MiEN Releases White Paper on Community College Space Innovation

    MiEN Company recently released a new white paper called “Designing New Innovative Spaces for Community Colleges” to address the needs of community colleges post-pandemic, according to a news release. The eight-page guide by Dr. Christina Counts, MiEN Company VP of Education and Marketing, covers topics like the enrollment drop that these schools have seen since COVID-19, the roles they play in higher education and local workforces, and five suggested key changes that can improve students’ experiences.

  • Image courtesy of Armstrong International

    The Modern Hot Water System Approach to Keep Higher Education Buildings Safe and Operational

    Higher education campuses face unique structural and operational demands. With a range of old and new buildings, a variety of facility types, and ambitious sustainability goals, it's essential that no aspect of infrastructural performance is overlooked. Facility managers must be equipped to provide a safe, reliable and efficient space for students, faculty and guests.

  • ProTeam Launches GoFit 6 HEPA Backpack Vacuum

    Technology leader Emerson recently introduced the new ProTeam GoFit 6 HEPA backpack vacuum, according to a news release. The vacuum was designed to capture 99.97% of particulates down to 0.3 microns—including atmospheric hazards like lead dust, mold spores, and other particulates—through an advanced filtration system.

  • Aims Community College to Build Workforce Innovation Center

    Aims Community College in Greeley, Colo., recently announced that it has broken ground on its new Aims Workforce Innovation Center (AWIC), according to a news release. The facility for workforce development, entrepreneurship, and education has a scheduled opening date of fall 2026.

Digital Edition