When Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., shared his vision for making UNMC a world-class research center, Omaha's business leaders responded. And Chuck Durham, right, led the way with the largest single gift UNMC has ever received.

By Bill O'Neill

When he became chancellor of UNMC in 1998, Dr. Harold M. Maurer had a vision: Research would be his legacy.

Since then, Maurer has focused on that vision. In November 2003, he and others realized a huge dividend of their work when they celebrated the opening of the 10-level Durham Research Center.

"A strong research program fuels both education and patient care," Maurer said. "Teaching is better because the faculty have the latest information, and clinical care is better because the physicians have access to cutting-edge treatments. Also, that building will attract the best students, residents and faculty. This is really a beacon for the future."

A half-decade ago, few people envisioned that a building dedicated to research would be needed at UNMC. But Maurer had big ideas, and his passion has brought those ideas to fruition.

"When I became chancellor, I thought that in education we were on the forefront, and our clinical services were really good," Maurer said. "But I thought that if we wanted to gain a national reputation, to gain strength as a medical center, we had to build our research enterprise."

So Maurer set out to increase research funding, with a few hurdles in his way. One big advantage was that The Lied Transplant Center, with several floors devoted to research, was being built, but other research facilities on campus were outdated and had old equipment.

Maurer also had to overhaul a mindset on campus that downplayed the importance of research and doubted that Nebraska would ever rank nationally in this area.

In June 1999, he presented his plan to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. His outline was simple: UNMC would go after faculty worldwide who would bring their expertise to Nebraska.

UNMC would seek private support to construct a building that would attract these faculty. In turn, cutting-edge research would benefit the education and patient care components of UNMC, and federally funded research would aid the operations budget of the university.

When he had completed his presentation, he was greeted by a rare response: the regents applauded his proposal.

Maurer was appreciative of their response, but he knew it was a first step. As he gained support for his ideas on campus, he began to seek counsel – and resources – from key university officials and community members.

At the university level, he received the endorsement of University of Nebraska President L. Dennis Smith, Ph.D., as well as the two top people at the University of Nebraska Foundation – Terry Fairfield, president, and John Niemann, Ed.D., senior vice president of the Omaha office.

He shared his ideas with a group of advisors in the Omaha business community, and they responded enthusiastically.

"They said, 'If you want to be world-class, we'll help you,' " said Maurer.

No one has helped more than Omaha businessman Charles "Chuck" Durham. When he initially saw the model of the research center, Durham's reaction was memorable. He asked, "Where's everybody going to park?"

Not only did he pledge to support the research center, but his gifts also made possible a new 1,500-stall employee parking garage that opened in May 2003 within walking distance from the Durham Research Center.

Having Durham on board made it easier to secure additional support for the research center. "Durham's name is gold because of what he's done and meant to the state of Nebraska," said Maurer.

Durham serves as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Durham Resources. Previously, he served as chairman and CEO of HDR Inc., an international engineering and architectural firm with work in all 50 states and 20 countries.

His gifts to UNMC are unmatched. The gift for the Durham Research Center and parking garage is the largest single gift ever received by UNMC.

Previous gifts from Durham and his late wife, Margre, supported prostate cancer, arthritis and minimally invasive surgery. In recognition of their gift, the Outpatient Care Center was renamed the Durham Outpatient Center.

The name "Durham" will become synonymous with research excellence, Maurer said. In conversation with their colleagues from around the country, scientists who conduct research at the DRC will say simply that they work in "Durham," with a sense of prestige, he added.

When it opens, the DRC will be about 75 percent full of scientists, while the remaining 25 percent will be left open to attract new researchers or to provide expansion space for new grants to existing scientists.

Outstanding faculty, staff and students have enthusiastically moved this agenda forward, and the opening of DRC will help to attract even more top researchers to UNMC, Maurer said, adding that a strong research program will benefit the citizens of Nebraska for years to come.

"I believe the citizens of Nebraska and the Midwest region deserve the best in health care and education. In order to get there, we need to conduct the most advanced research here. This building will help us do that," he said.