UNMC selected for Heritage Award

Harold M. Maurer, M.D.

For its active role to improve the community, UNMC received this year’s Heritage Award from Ak-Sar-Ben’s River City Roundup (ARCR). UNMC accepted the Heritage Award during the Ninth Annual Buckaroo Bash fundraiser on Saturday.

“Our commitment to Omaha and to Nebraska never will waver,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “We are proud to be named a Heritage Award winner, and we will not disappoint those who have selected us for this honor.”

Each year, the Heritage Award is presented to a business, institution or organization that has contributed significantly to the growth of the city, is designated as a good corporate citizen and continues to play an active role in matters that affect the community and region. The board of directors of ARCR selected UNMC for its tremendous impact on health care and education in Nebraska and the world.

UNMC’s endless growth and mission to improve the citizenry’s health through premier educational programs, innovative research, the highest quality patient care and outreach to underserved populations has led the medical center to the forefront nationally in many areas.

“We are a campus that is on the move, and we have tremendous momentum in our quest to become a world-class academic health sciences center,” Dr. Maurer said.

“Our commitment to Omaha and to Nebraska never will waver.” Harold M. Maurer, M.D.

Holding true to its mission, UNMC is a leader in providing care and serving as health care policy advocates for the populations in north and south Omaha. For more than 125 years, UNMC has contributed to the vitality of Omaha by educating many of the state’s health care providers and caring for its population.

Dr. Maurer credited the Omaha philanthropic community with supporting UNMC’s quest to become world-class. Private gifts have funded the construction of many recent and ongoing projects, including the $77 million Durham Research Center (opened in 2003) and its $74 million sister tower, which will open this winter; the $52.7 million Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education and other multi-million dollar projects for geriatrics, nursing, public health and low-vision. This incredible growth will make UNMC one of the highest quality research centers in the Midwest, Dr. Maurer said.

These projects add to the city’s vibrancy, as well as UNMC’s prestige across the country, he said.

In addition to the Heritage Award, UNMC has won many other prestigious awards, including the 2003 Outstanding Community Service Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

“We have been — and will continue to be — a leader in Destination Midtown, which has proven to be very successful in revitalizing midtown Omaha,” Dr. Maurer said.

Ak-Sar-Ben’s River City Roundup is a family celebration of the region’s heritage. The event has three core events: the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Omaha Round of the Ariat Playoffs aired by FSN; the Ak-Sar-Ben 4-H Livestock Exposition open to eight states; and the Douglas County Fair.