Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV has received a $1 million donation toward its 135,000 square-foot construction from Bank of America. The corporate donation is the very first of its kind benefitting the project, which broke ground in October 2020 and is slated for completion in 2022.
To-date, the majority of the project has been funded by more than $150 million in private donations, including contributions from the Estate of Kirk Kerkorian, Engelstad Foundation and the State of Nevada, among others.
"Since day one, this project has been a collaborative effort that has brought the absolute best in our community together to make this project a reality," said Maureen Schafer, President and CEO of Nevada Health & Bioscience Corporation (NHBC), the company overseeing the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV development.
Upon completion, the school will accommodate a class size of up to 120, doubling the school's current capacity. A Brookings Mountain West / Tripp Umbach study found that a new medical school in Las Vegas would equate to residents less likely to leave the state for medical care and it would also be a boon to the economy, equating to an infusion of $1.2 billion per year locally after its first 15 years of startup.
"As more and more decide to call Las Vegas home, increasing access to quality health care and building a robust pipeline of medical professionals have never been more important," said Al Welch, Bank of America Las Vegas President. "We see this grant to the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV as a vital investment toward our community's budding minds as well as the vitality of our residents. Amid our efforts in and beyond Las Vegas, Bank of America is truly honored to support this project."
In 2020, Bank of America awarded nearly $2 million to Las Vegas area nonprofits, which was nearly double its 2019 giving. Its 2021 efforts have impacted more than 100 local nonprofits, as it works to improve the financial lives of individuals and families.
As part of its commitment to the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, Bank of America will receive naming rights and access to a unique video board inside the front entrance of the school.
For more information on the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, visit nevadahbc.org.
Source: Bank of America Corp.
