UNLV less than $1 million away from full scholarships for first med school class

By Ian Whitaker

Thursday, May 7, 2015 | 4:39 p.m.

A campaign to gather donations for the inaugural class of the UNLV School of Medicine raised $5.2 million in less than a month.

The school said Thursday it is only $800,000 away from being able to provide full-ride scholarships to each of the 60 students in its first ever class, set to begin in fall 2017.

The school's dean, Dr. Barbara Atkinson, announced the campaign on Apr. 9, modeling it after a similar effort by the University of Central Florida.

“The outpouring of support from the community has been remarkable," Atkinson said in a statement. "It truly underscores the commitment to make UNLV’s medical school a reality in Las Vegas.”

The latest donors include local entrepreneur Matthew Frazier as well as Rick and Jeri Crawford, who own the Green Valley Grocery chain.

Donors who signed on in early April include Children's Heart Center Nevada as well as new UNLV President Len Jessup.

“Helping the new school recruit the best and brightest students will benefit our entire state by stimulating the economy, creating more jobs, and training more physicians," Frazier said in a statement released by the school.

Having the inaugural class on full-ride scholarships means the school can pick and choose the best students. Having the best students means the school has a better shot at achieving full accreditation.

Each four-year scholarship costs roughly $100,000. Applications for the school are expected to start in 2016.

The next step for the school is procuring startup funding from the state. The Nevada System of Higher Education had originally asked Gov. Brian Sandoval for $26.7 million to build up the school over the next two years, but Sandoval's budget included only around $8 million.

Atkinson said a strong fiscal commitment from the state is a signal to accreditation committees that Nevada is serious about supporting a second medical school.