Day 848
Today, the dean of my medical college gave a very important announcement/press conference at the university. One of the biggest philanthropists in this area has given a gift of $20 million dollars to my school specifically for the building of new facilities for the college of medicine which are badly needed. This is spectacular news! It’s not every day or every decade someone gives a gift this large to us, in fact it is the largest gift ever given to our college. Although, I will be graduated and far gone before any of the benefits of that money are ever seen, I still think it’s a wonderful thing and will celebrate the benefits it will have on the future of healthcare of this city’s population. Making a significant donation to a medical school, especially one nearby a medically undeserved community, is one of the most impactful moves you can make as a philanthropist. The effects will be widespread and long lasting. There is only one point of contention I have with administration’s handling of this situation and that is their decision to rename the entire college of medicine after the donor. Somehow, it doesn’t sit right with me to have one person’s name replace the name of an organization that has from the start been about improving the healthcare of our entire community and serving that community as a team of people from all professional branches and diverse walks of life. I believe it is a decision that one could say is somewhat lacking in emotional intelligence; I think it sends the wrong signal to the community being served, to current and future medical students, to faculty and staff and basically to everyone except for future possible philanthropists who would consider donating money. I would liken it then to how sports stadiums are often named now after the company that bids the highest. I think most people would not be entirely comfortable being associated with the AT&T or Bank of America College of Medicine. And what if a donation comes in next week that’s $30 million dollars? Will we change the name of the school to that person’s last name? One of the largest reasons I see for this not being a wise decision is that in a way it negates all of the donations others have made to the university in the past. Monetarily, over the school’s history, many people, graduates and not, have donated to this school and while none of them gave as big an amount as $20 million dollars, they gave what they could from what they had and made perhaps an equal sacrifice from their standpoint. That is not to mention the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of physicians and staff who have dedicated decades of their lives to development of this medical school and the well being of it’s students. Where are their names?
Now with these statements, I am in no way saying anything bad about the donor. On the contrary, I am thrilled by their generosity and the wisdom in their investment into the future of innumerable lives. They are beyond virtuous and should be honored greatly. I am also sure that it was not the idea or intention of this donor to have their name replace the original name of our college of medicine. They already have their name on many buildings around the city including an amazing new clinic that is a part of our college of medicine. I simply think it was a misguided decision by a group of very well intentioned administrators who were trying to do the right thing in attempting to show their gratitude to a member of the community who has made such a selfless act. Additionally, I believe there is nothing wrong with naming the new building or set of buildings after this donor, in fact, I would propose and fully support a plan to erect a statue in remembrance of this person on the campus. But what I cannot do is support the renaming of the entire institution to the singular name of, say someone who spent 50 years teaching and doing groundbreaking research here let alone the singular name of someone who has donated money for new facilities. Again, let me reiterate, there is no lack of appreciation of this gift on my part. I am absolutely and extremely grateful for a contribution this large that will benefit so many no matter who’s name it is or what the administration chooses to do with that name.
