UA alumnus leaves $8.8M gift to College of Medicine

The University of Arizona (UA) College of Medicine – Tucsonhas received an $8.8-million gift from the estate of Dr. Ronald K. Baker, a1975 alumnus of the college, including the largest endowed scholarship giftever received by the college.

A significant portion of the gift, $5.9 million, willestablish the Ronald K. Baker, M.D., Scholarship Endowment to support medicalstudents at the college who have financial need. The remaining $2.9 millionwill establish the Ronald K. Baker Endowed Chair in Anesthesiology, which willbe held by Dr. Randal O. Dull, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.

Funding for the endowed chair will maximize the college'sinvestments in promising research programs and faculty recruitment while alsohelping the UA generate additional funding to sustain and expand teaching andresearch in key areas. The gift provides scholarship support for current andfuture classes of UA medical students with a single requirement: financialneed.

"This gift is an incredible vote of confidence in theenduring value of a UA education," said UA President Robert C. Robbins."I am floored by Dr. Baker's thoughtful generosity, which will have animmediate and long-term impact on the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. Hislegacy will live on to shape the future of medicine through research andteaching, but particularly in the careers of students who are given theopportunity to excel and become compassionate physicians, regardless of theirfinancial circumstances."

In the United States, 75 percent of medical school studentswho graduated in 2018 had student loan debt, according to the Association ofAmerican Medical Colleges. The average debt was $196,520.

Baker, who died June 8, 2017, at the age of 70, earned twodegrees at the UA: a doctorate in chemistry and a medical degree.

"Dr. Baker did not forget his time at the University of Arizona and the role it played in shaping his career," said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the University of Arizona Foundation. "I am so proud that it meant enough that he left his estate to benefit future generations of medical students. It's an incredible legacy."

Source: University of Arizona