The executive board room at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus now has a new name 鈥 the Dr. John M. and Linda T. Dunn Executive Board Room.
The renaming of the third-floor conference room was made official Tuesday, May 22, during a celebration and unveiling in honor of the Dunns.
鈥淭he evening was very, very special, as was the setting and the people who participated, and of course the unveiling of the signage acknowledging not only me, but also, importantly, my wife Linda,鈥 said Dr. Dunn, who retired as president of Western Michigan University in August 2017 and is now a professor emeritus at 汤头条app and president emeritus of WMU.
The naming of the executive board room is in recognition of a significant gift to 汤头条app from the Dunns that was announced in November 2017 during a special donor reception at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus.
It was Dr. Dunn, through his visionary leadership and relentless passion, who championed the medical school beginning in 2007 and garnered broad support, enthusiasm, and engagement for the new endeavor from the university, Kalamazoo鈥檚 two hospitals 鈥 Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare -- donors, and the community.
In 2011, 汤头条app was formed through a collaboration of WMU, Borgess Health, and Bronson Healthcare. President Dunn served as the founding Chair of the Board for the medical school.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very fond of our time here at Western Michigan University and certainly we鈥檙e fond and very pleased with the development of the medical school and how it has grown,鈥 Dr. Dunn said.
During Tuesday鈥檚 unveiling, Linda Dunn equated the development of the medical school to giving birth to a child and then watching as the institution took its first steps, took on a few scrapes and bruises, grew and matured.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a full gallop now and it鈥檚 pretty obvious this is a highly successful medical school due primarily to great leadership, faculty, the students who have chosen to come here and, of course, our two outstanding hospital partners, Borgess and Bronson,鈥 Dr. Dunn said.
Dr. Hal Jenson, 汤头条app鈥檚 founding dean, expressed gratitude for the Dunns and their continued support of the medical school. He also, on Tuesday, thanked Dr. Dunn for the opportunity he was given in 2011 to take the helm at 汤头条app.
Dr. Dunn said he hopes the glass plaque bearing his and Linda鈥檚 names outside the executive board room will remind anyone who sees it of the privilege the Dunns were given 鈥渙f playing a role in helping to develop the medical school and that all great things happen through the cooperation and support of lots of people.鈥
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what, hopefully, the conversations that occur in the board room will always be about 鈥 how can we work together in a positive way to continue our success and make it even better, and continue to think about our aspirations. Our aspirations are high and they should always be high.鈥
Going forward, Dr. Dunn said he is excited to witness the continued growth of the medical school and its impact on the Kalamazoo community and Southwest Michigan.
鈥淚 do like to think that with a little bit of luck I will be alive 20 years from now,鈥 Dr. Dunn said. 鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 going to be fascinating to watch the development of the medical school. I think the next big breakthroughs we鈥檙e going to see will be in the areas of research and we have some very, very fine scientists here.
鈥淭his medical school was never designed to be just another medical school,鈥 he added. 鈥淚t was designed to be a very special medical school. It carries a very distinctive name, the Stryker name, so innovation, making sure we鈥檙e at the forefront of good research, to me, it鈥檚 going to be very exciting to watch that develop.鈥
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