GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Altru Health System has pledged a $10 million gift to the University of North Dakota through the UND Foundation in support of a sports medicine partnership between Altru and UND. According to UND President Robert Kelley, $9 million will serve as the leadership gift for a new UND Athletics Complex, an indoor practice and competition facility on campus.
“This is an important first step toward building a world-class sports medicine program,” Kelley said. “When completed, the indoor training facility will include space for academic and clinical studies on human performance and conditioning, which will greatly enhance the University’s and Altru’s roles in sports medicine.” The remaining $1 million is directed to support the replacement of the football turf at the Alerus Center.
ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
President Kelley said the gift promotes an ongoing partnership between two of the region’s largest organizations, both of which are responsible for stewarding their resources in ways that improve our communities. Specifically, Altru Health System has been the University’s sports medicine provider for more than 20 years.
“The indoor athletics complex will be an asset for the entire University and will impact health and wellness for the campus, the community, and the region. Together, we are implementing our missions to improve the health and enrich the lives of people in our region,” Kelley said.
“This partnership is part of a much larger initiative to improve the health of our entire community,” said Dave Molmen, Altru’s Chief Executive Officer. “This investment extends our educational partnership and provides a state-of-the-art educational laboratory for UND’s students to gain necessary experience in the field of sports medicine and thus, help feed our community with needed health professionals. In addition to training sports medicine professionals, the partnership will conduct research that will advance sports medicine knowledge and techniques. As we like to say, by working together, we all get better.”
Dr. Casey Ryan, Altru’s President, said that “The University plays a vital role in educating future health care professionals. This gift creates an opportunity to improve the university experience for the students, who we rely on as our future leaders to continue our mission of improving health and enriching life.” Altru and UND see this gift as an investment in training the best for the community.
ABOUT THE GIFT
“This $10 million gift from Altru is one of the largest made in support of North Dakota Spirit | The Campaign for UND, which strives to raise $300 million for UND’s passionate students, inspirational educators, innovative programs and extraordinary places like the new athletics complex,” said President Kelley. It will be paid over 30 years.
Altru’s gift to UND is the most recent example of Altru Health System’s fulfillment of its mission by strengthening ties to other organizations. Last year, Altru became the first member in the nation of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The relationship brings Mayo Clinic knowledge and expertise to Grand Forks by providing access to systems previously available only within Mayo Clinic. In 2010, Altru announced a gift of $6.5 million to the Grand Forks Park District and YMCA to enable them to replace and remodel fitness facilities.
“This gift will help build a transformational facility that is the essence of the North Dakota Spirit Campaign,” said Tim O’Keefe, Executive Vice President and CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation. “This gift provides immediate excitement as well as the necessary momentum to raise the remaining $26 million of the $300 million goal.” Learn more about the campaign at spirit.und.edu.
ABOUT THE FACILITY
The UND Athletics Complex will provide a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning area, a student-athlete academic center and sports medicine space for all UND Athletics teams. Additionally, it will provide a practice and training facility for the football, track and field and soccer teams. The facility will serve the community by offering a host site for youth athletics camps and college and youth track and field meets.
“Our mission is to build champions, and this facility will play a key role in doing exactly that. As UND Athletics has made the commitment to excellence in Division I competition, the need for an indoor practice and competition facility on campus has become clear,” said UND Director of Athletics Brian Faison. “This is a game changer for UND Athletics.”
