Giving Opportunities

DEPARTMENT ENDOWMENTS

The Department requires approximately $1 million annually to support an expanding menu of research projects, to provide bridge funding between grants for scientists, and to fund new investigator recruitments. The annual infrastructure support helps fund administrative activity, new clinical faculty recruitments, educational programs, and the purchase of basic equipment. An expansion of the Department's endowment is essential to protect advancements in both its clinical and research initiatives.

ENDOWED CHAIRS

Endowed Chairs
An endowed chair provides support and prestige, in perpetuity, for distinguished faculty. Endowments allow the faculty to be more productive in activities such as writing papers and texts, and leveraging research support from the National Eye Institute/NIH and other agencies. Endowed chairs are attractive naming opportunities for donors. Current funding requirements of the University for Endowed Chairs are $2 million for a Professorship, $1.5 million for an Associate Professorship, and $1.5 million for an Assistant Professorship.

Scholars
The Scholars Program enables the Department to recruit new faculty. Private support allows the department to engage the person selected for a period of 3-5 years, during which time, the donor's name may be attached to the scholar and his/her activities.

Fellowships
Support for postdoctoral fellowships underwrites the training of young clinicians and scientists in a specialized field of inquiry in ophthalmology or vision science. Fellows are vital to a robust research program, contributing to a faculty member's academic productivity at a relatively low cost to the Department. The commitment of a Fellow to the Department ranges between one and two years.

FACILITY AND TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS

Renovations are needed in specific areas of our clinical and research building to develop and maintain centers of excellence in all our specialty areas including Retina, Glaucoma, Cornea and Refractive Surgery, and Pediatric Ophthalmology. Research laboratories require modernization and refurbishing. State-of-the-art equipment in all major areas is required.