Scotts create Maurer Distinguished Chair in Public Health

A key goal of the UNMC College of Public Health is to make Nebraska the healthiest state in the country by 2020.

Now, thanks to a $1 million gift from longtime UNMC supporters, Ruth and Bill Scott of Omaha, the college should be able to make significant strides toward achieving this goal.

Over a steak dinner at Brother Sebastian’s Steak House & Winery on May 4, the Scotts surprised Dr. Maurer by pulling out a bag and giving it to him. When he opened the bag, he saw an engraved antique chair expressing the Scotts’ “grateful recognition of visionary leadership.” But, Dr. Maurer admits, the implication of the little antique chair didn’t immediately register with him. “When I realized they were establishing an endowed chair in my name, I was absolutely speechless,” he said. “It’s a great honor.”

The Scotts have created an endowed chair in the College of Public Health and named it the Harold M. Maurer, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Public Health in honor of Dr. Maurer, who served as UNMC chancellor from 1999 to 2014 and was instrumental in establishing the college in 2006.

“Creation of endowed chairs is very important to our future excellence,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “Endowed professorships and chairs provide the funding we need to hire top experts — individuals who can truly make a difference in making Nebraska a healthier state.

“Naming this endowed chair in honor of Dr. Maurer is a perfect fit, as he was the visionary leader who recognized the importance of public health and saw the need to create a new college. We are incredibly grateful to Bill and Ruth Scott for their ongoing transformative support of UNMC.”

“The Ebola epidemic put the College of Public Health’s name all over the globe,” Ruth Scott said. “Bill and I thought the endowed chair would be a good way to keep the momentum going. Additional public and private support will be needed to make Nebraska the healthiest state in the union.”

Nebraska is currently ranked as the 10th healthiest state in the country by the United Health Foundation, gaining one notch in the 2014 rankings.

“The Scotts support of public health programs with this endowed chair is transformational for the college,” said Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H., dean of the UNMC College of Public Health. “It will be the first endowed chair for Nebraska’s young College of Public Health and will allow us to recruit a national leader to head our health promotions programs.

“It’s a critical position that will be instrumental in allowing us to build outstanding programs to become a healthier state and develop into a world-class public health college worthy of this amazing state. We can’t thank the Scotts enough for this incredible generosity including our new building also named in Dr. Maurer’s honor.”

For Dr. Maurer, who is now serving as emeritus chancellor and professor of pediatrics-oncology and hematology, the gift came as a tremendous surprise and honor.

“The Scotts have done so much for the medical center, the city of Omaha and the state of Nebraska,” he said. “They are the most generous people I’ve ever encountered. They are marvelous people and have done a lot for Beverly and me. We truly love them.”