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Generous Giving Grows SOT Endowment Fund
by Roger O. McClellan, Chair, SOT Endowment
The generosity of SOT members and others interested in advancing the science of toxicology has resulted in the continued growth of the SOT Endowment Fund. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, the Endowment Fund received contributions of $230,276 from 225 individuals or organizations. During its inaugural year, the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, the Endowment Fund received total contributions of $87,451. In the current fiscal year, which started July 1, 2008, Contributions of over $29,000 have already been received. The contributions to date of over $347,000 exceed the most optimistic expectations made when the Endowment Fund was initiated in early 2007. A major stimulus to gifting to the Endowment Fund has been the availability of SOT Matching Funds so that each dollar contributed by a donor has been matched with a dollar of SOT Funds. The SOT Council approved the use of up to $500,000 as 50th SOT Anniversary Matching Funds so just over $150,000 remains available to match your contributions to the Endowment Fund.
The number of individual Funds within the Endowment has also grown during the past year. The Endowment now includes four General Purpose Funds and 19 Specific Purpose Funds providing donors a wide range of gifting options. The SOT Endowment Fund Board recently approved, and the SOT Council ratified, the creation of seven new Funds.
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| Perry J. Gehring |
One of the new Funds, the Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Award, traces its origins to generous gifts in early 2007 from Barbara Gehring, the wife of the late Perry J. Gehring, and her children and Joe and Teri LeBeau who desired to honor the memory of Perry J. Gehring. The donors requested that proceeds from the Gehring Fund be used for student awards to advance risk assessment and biological modeling and promote diversity in toxicology. To accomplish these objectives, three separate Funds have been created, the Perry J. Gehring Biological Modeling Student Award Fund, the Perry J. Gehring Risk Assessment Student Award Fund and, now, the Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Award. Proceeds from the Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Award Fund will be used to fund one or more awards to be given to students from an ethnic group underrepresented in toxicology (African American, Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Islander) to assist the award recipients in their participation in the Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology. The award recipient(s) will be selected based on merit by the Committee on Diversity Initiatives. The late Perry J. Gehring was a major figure in modern toxicology in the late 1900s. He was a leader in the Society of Toxicology, serving as the 1980–1981 President. He was an outstanding scientific manager and builder of scientific organizations. The award will serve to memorialize the legacy of Perry J. Gehring and perpetuate his long-standing interest in assisting disadvantaged individuals to become successful scientists.
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| Harihara Mehendale |
Dharm V. Singh |
The Harihara Mehendale Association of Scientists of Indian Origin Student Award was created with an initial generous gift from Harihara and Rekha Mehendale. The Fund is aligned with the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin Special Interest Group (ASIO SIG). This is the second Fund aligned with the ASIO SIG. In early 2008, the Dharm V. Singh ASIO Student Award Fund was created with an initial generous gift from Dharm V. Singh. Proceeds from the Harihara Mehendale ASIO SIG Student Award Fund will be given to encourage graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, who are individuals of Indian origin, to pursue advanced studies in the field of toxicology. Dr. Mehendale has had an outstanding career as a toxicologist and is well known for his role in teaching and mentoring students. Numerous individuals with varied backgrounds, including many individuals of Indian origin, have been introduced to toxicology and advanced in the field under his guidance.
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| Robert J. Rubin |
The Robert J. Rubin Student Travel Award Fund has been established with an initial generous gift from Mark R. Montgomery, one of Professor Rubin’s doctoral students at Johns Hopkins University. It is hoped that the fund will attract additional gifts in the future, especially from other students who benefited from Professor Rubin’s tutelage. The Robert J. Rubin Student Travel Fund proceeds will be used to provide travel awards to one or more graduate students to participate in the SOT Annual Meeting. Recipients of the Rubin Award will be selected by a committee jointly appointed by the leadership of the Mechanisms Specialty Section (SS) and the Risk Assessment SS. The award recipient(s) will be selected based on the scientific quality of the abstract of a presentation that applies mechanistic toxicology to risk assessment. Robert J. Rubin, Professor Emeritus, Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, had a distinguished career in toxicology and an important role in the education of many toxicologists and environmental health scientists. The Robert J. Rubin Student Travel Award will serve to recognize Dr. Rubin’s pioneering role in developing the toxicology graduate program at Johns Hopkins University, his outstanding contributions to applying mechanistic toxicology to risk assessment, and, especially, his strong commitment to facilitating the attendance of students at professional meetings such as those of the Society of Toxicology.
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| Frank C. Lu |
Jean Lu |
The Jean Lu Student Scholarship Fund has been created with an initial generous gift from Frank C. Lu in memory of his recently deceased wife, Jean Lu. Proceeds from the Jean Lu Student Scholarship Fund will be used to provide a scholarship for graduate training in toxicology to a Chinese student. The Jean Lu Scholarship Fund recipient will be selected by a committee appointed by the American Association of Chinese in Toxicology (AACT), a SIG of SOT. The scholarship will serve to memorialize the commitment of Jean Lu and her husband, Frank C. Lu, to the training of individuals in the medical sciences. Jean Lu, who was born in China and educated as a medical technologist, passed away in 2008. Frank C. Lu was a founding Member of the SOT and had a distinguished career in toxicology with notable contributions to food safety and authorship of one of the early texts in toxicology used around the world. Dr. Lu made a generous contribution a number of years ago that created the Frank C. Lu Food Safety Student Award. He has continued his generosity with a gift to establish the Jean Lu Fund.
The Health and Environmental Sciences Institute Immunotoxicology Young Investigator Student Award Fund is intended to advance the education and training of young investigators in the field of Immunotoxicology by providing travel stipends to meritorious applicants to assist in their participation in the SOT Annual Meeting. The awardee(s) will be selected by the SOT’s Immunotoxicology SS from applications based on the scientific quality of the applicant’s abstract for a presentation to be given at the SOT Annual Meeting. The Fund was initiated with a generous gift from the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)—Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI). The HESI Immunotoxicology Committee has recognized the importance of encouraging the education and training of young scientists in the field of immunotoxicology. This committee encouraged the HESI to provide a gift to the SOT Endowment Fund as a means of continuing in perpetuity support for young investigators in immunotoxicology.
All of the funds described above have initial assets of over $25,000 as a result of the generous gifts of the donors and the 50th SOT Anniversary Matching Funds. Thus, these funds are all designated as Permanently Restricted Net Asset Funds and will be continued in perpetuity. Two other funds described below are currently designated as Temporarily Restricted Net Asset Funds because they have initial assets of less than $25,000. When the funds achieve an asset level of $25,000, they will be reclassified as Permanently Restricted Net Asset Funds.
The Young Soo Choi Student Scholarship Award Fund has been created with an initial generous gift from Young Soo Choi. Proceeds from the Young Soo Choi Student Scholarship Fund will be used to provide a scholarship for graduate training in toxicology to a Korean student. The Choi Scholarship Fund recipient will be selected by a committee appointed by the Korean Toxicologists Association in America (KTAA), an SOT SIG. Young Soo Choi, who was born in Korea and received her graduate education in the United States, had a distinguished career as a Toxicologist/Expert Pharmacologist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In creating the new fund, Young Soo Choi wants to assist other individuals to receive graduate training as she did when she came to the United States. Young Soo Choi has indicated a willingness for the fund to be left open to receive contributions from other donors. The goal for the Choi Scholarship Fund is to soon achieve assets of $25,000 or more from contributions and matching funds and be designated as a Permanently Restricted Net Asset Fund so it will be continued in perpetuity. The first scholarship from the fund will not be given until the fund has assets in excess of $25,000.
The Angelo Furgiuele Young Investigator Technology Award is being initiated with an initial generous gift from Angelo and Christine Furgiuele. Proceeds from the fund will be used for an award to be presented to a young investigator in the field of reproductive and developmental toxicology to purchase technological enhancements such as computer hardware, software, or analytical equipment that will facilitate the conduct of research by the award recipient. The award recipient shall be a young investigator working in a non-profit institution, such as a college or university. The award recipient will be selected by the Reproductive and Developmental SS from among applicants based on the anticipated impact of the technology to be acquired on the applicant’s research activities and the advancement of understanding reproductive and developmental effects. The first award from the fund will not be made until $25,000 in total assets has been credited to the fund. Angelo and Christine Furgiuele recognize that the availability of modest funds to purchase key technology for a young investigator in a non-profit institution can significantly increase the potential for the investigator achieving a successful research outcome. Thus, they have initiated this fund as a means of facilitating research in Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, an area that was of interest to Dr. Furgiuele as a young scientist.
The SOT Endowment Fund Board is pleased to acknowledge the generosity of the SOT members and other individuals and organizations that have helped the SOT Endowment Fund. The Board is especially pleased with the diverse nature of the four General Purpose Funds and 19 Specific Purpose Funds that have been created. The diverse nature of these funds is a reflection of the wide range of interests of donors. It is not surprising that most of the funds focus on supporting students who represent the future of the field of toxicology. It is noteworthy that many of the SOT Endowment Funds are linked to the Society’s SS and SIG organizations, grass-roots elements of the SOT.
Prospective donors are encouraged to consider each of the 19 Specific Purpose Funds as a potential template for an SOT Endowment Fund they might wish to personally initiate in the future. A number of funds have been created by individuals and bear the names of the donors. Other funds have been created by a donor to honor or memorialize another individual. The new HESI Immunotoxicology Young Investigator Award Fund represents the first fund created as a result of an organizational gift. It is hoped that in the future other organizations, including corporations, will recognize the value of creating similar specific purpose funds that will aid in advancing the science of toxicology.
The continued growth of the SOT Endowment Fund builds on three principles: (1) individual and organizational donors to the SOT Endowment Fund share with the SOT a commitment to advancing the science of toxicology; (2) the financial generosity of the individual and organizational donors will be appropriately acknowledged; and (3) the donors have entrusted to the SOT the responsibility for ensuring that their contributions are used wisely and in a manner consistent with the intended purpose of their gift.
The continued generosity of SOT members and other donors along with the availability of the 50th SOT Anniversary Match provide the opportunity for the SOT Endowment Fund to soon realize the $1 million level of gifts and matching funds. Please consider making a gift to one of the existing SOT Endowment Funds. It is easy to make your gift by downloading a Donor Contribution Form. Complete the form and return it by mail or fax to SOT Headquarters. If you are interested in exploring the potential for creating a new SOT Endowment Fund, please contact the SOT Endowment Fund Chair, Roger O. McClellan at (505) 296-7083.
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