“I can tell you this community is rallying in ways that are just unbelievable”

— Jack Magruder, ATSU President | Read More

The Goal:

Raise $1 million by February 1, 2011 to establish a dental school in Kirksville, MO.

The Leadership:

• Ranee Brayton, Associate CEO, Northeast Regional Medical Center, ranee_brayton@chs.net
• Larry Gardner, Larry Gardner Accounting, ldgardner@cableone.net

Why was Community Friends For ATSU Dental formed?

• Secure private gift support in response to the feasibility study commissioned by the ATSU board of trustees
• Establish broad local support and develop the necessary strategic partnerships
• Ensure the final decision is in favor of northeast Missouri
• Educate the public as to the need for the dental school
• Help meet the need for dentists in rural and underserved areas of Missouri

The competition:

• Southern California (San Diego)
• Central Florida (Orlando)

Support is growing…

• Kirksville Regional Economic Development, Inc. (K-REDI) voted unanimously to pledge $100,000 - Read more
• Northeast Regional Medical Center has announced their $100,000 pledge of support - Read more
• Alliant Bank has pledged $50,000
• Kirksville Dental Group, Drs. Allinson, Gooch, and Kice-Briggs, have pledged $20,000 - Read more
• Northeast Missouri Health Council, Inc., has pledged support and promised to assist in developing training opportunities
• Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has formally endorsed the proposed dental school
• ATSU faculty and staff have pledged over $53,000 to date
• Letters of support and pledges to provide training slots from CHC and primary care associations in the Dakotas, Indiana, Iowa/Nebraska, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, as well as from the Cherokee Nation Health Services Group
• Letters of support from:
  • Governor Jay Nixon
  • Blaine Luetkemeyer, U.S. 9th District Representative
  • House Concurrent Resolution No. 13, sponsored by Zachary Wyatt, Missouri 2nd District Representative
  • Rachel L. Bringer, Missouri 6th District Representative
  • Tom Shively, Missouri 8th District Representative
  • Adair County Commission
  • Adair County Health Department
  • City of Kirksville
  • Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Missouri Area Health Education Centers Operating Board
  • Missouri Primary Care Association's Oral Health Network
• Local dentists, business owners, banking industry professionals and real estate companies have pledged support
  

or make a pledge commitment

Won’t you join us?

Help us make the proposed dental school a reality by making your commitment today.  Your gift or pledge of support over one, two, or three years will count now toward our fundraising goal of $1 million.

Quick Facts

Missouri:

• Continues to see a decline in practicing dentists and dental school graduates
• Has only one dental school (UMKC)
• Is ranked 47th in the nation in residents visiting a dentist
• Sees 70 dentists retire each year, only to be replaced by 40 new dentists...overall, the average age of a Missouri dentist is 55 years old
• Has more than 140 designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas

Benefits of a dental school to the local community:

• Address an unmet patient care need, which aligns with ATSU’s mission
• Increase diversity in the local community
• Cement ATSU’s already strong commitment to Kirksville and the surrounding area

Quotes

• Jack Magruder, President, ATSU: “We believe that a dental school in Kirksville fits our mission and would bring great value to ATSU and to the residents of Northeast Missouri….and the Community Health Centers are totally supportive.”
• Ranee Brayton: "Because education is one of the cornerstones that Kirksville is built on, and we are recognized as a community for education, this is simply another way to demonstrate community support for higher education and the impact it has on the area.”