Alum gives Med School $10 M

An anonymous $10 million donation to the Medical School may ultimately lead to free tuition for all University Med School students, Med School Dean William Kelley said yesterday. Kelley said he hopes the money, which was donated by a Med School alumnus and his wife, will make the University a "prototype" for the way medical schools will operate in the 21st century. "This may ultimately establish Penn as the nation's first private medical school to provide full tuition for all of its medical students," Kelley said at a press conference yesterday. The program, called the Twenty-First Century Endowed Scholars Fund, was established so that medical students will have the "freedom to pursue the medical careers of their choice" and will not be constrained by financial concerns, he added. "Many private medical school students carry a burden of educational debt equal to that of a home mortgage by the time they graduate," said Kelley. "We hope it allows students to worry less about cost and more about their education." Fredric Burg, Med School vice dean of education, said the fund will "remove any variables" when medical students decide "how they want to spend their lives." Kelley said the anonymous $10 million gift was made by "a humble couple who feel very strongly about medical education." Their gift is designed to provide full tuition for the first 25 selected scholars. The first six recipients started Medical School at the University this fall. By 1995, there will be at least 25 scholars per year. "We are committed to raising funds to provide full tuition for 200 student scholars by the year 2000," said Kelley. "Each additional endowment gift or pledge of $400,000 to the fund will provide full tuition for one student per year in perpetuity." He said it was impossible to determine how long it would take for the fund to reach its ultimate goal of a $240 million endowment -- enough to pay the tuition for all 685 medical students. "We hope scholars will choose to repay this generosity either through their socially beneficial medical service -- pursuing a career in medical research, medical education, service to patients in geographically remote or otherwise under-served patient populations -- or by funding another Twenty-First Century Scholar," Kelley said. The first group of scholarship recipients was not selected based on financial need or intended career path, but rather on individual merit. Some of the first recipients said they are thrilled that their years at the University will be paid for by the generous donation. "It's a tremendous gift," said tuition recipient Adil Esmail. "I feel very fortunate." Karen La Face, another first year Med School student and fund recipient, said she plans to practice a less lucrative type of medicine which the fund will allow her to pursue because she will not have to worry about paying off student loans. "What the fund really does is to allow people to make a career choice based upon what they'll like the most and where they feel they'll have the biggest impact," La Face said.