UT Tyler Gifted $5 Million for School of Medicine

By NOAH TEW/Editor-in-Chief

UT Tyler announced that $5 million was being donated to the School of Medicine from Ednamae Walsh. The gift supports scholarships and pathway programs for the medical school.

“This generous gift will create opportunities for students across the region in numerous ways,” UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk A. Calhoun said in statement from the university. “Not only will it make a medical degree more affordable, but it will also make it more accessible through our programs designed to engage learners in health care professions as early as possible. I am eternally grateful to those who generously desire to help us address the health care needs of East Texas.”

Every student who enrolled in the second class of UT Tyler’s School of Medicine will receive a four-year scholarship to cover their full tuition. This follows the 2021 gift from the Fair Foundation covering full-tuition scholarships for the first School of Medicine class, which will enroll in fall 2023. 

A portion of the gift will be used to support the School of Medicine’s Pathways Program. This program will assist in addressing the physician shortage in East Texas by coordinating pathways for students to enter medical school.

“Our research shows that we need to improve health care access for people all across East Texas,” said Dr. Brigham Willis, founding dean of the School of Medicine. “This gift allows us to implement programs for our East Texas students to gain early access to the fundamental tools of medicine.” 

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Editor’s Note: This story is part of Project UT Tyler 2050, a Patriot Talon initiative focusing on the future of the university

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