The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Inc. is contributing $261.5 million to Emory University to help the institution construct a model patient-centered health care system for the 21st century and to support other strategic priorities of the university.

The announcement of the extraordinary financial commitment, one of the largest in American higher education, came at Emory's Nov. 16 Board of Trustees meeting. Board of Trustees Chairman Ben Johnson, managing partner in the Atlanta firm of Alston & Bird, said, "Robert W. Woodruff and the Woodruff Foundation have been Emory's major partners at every juncture in Emory's modern advancement to preeminence. We are all grateful that the foundation continues at our side and leading the way as we advance so many common interests together."

The Woodruff Foundation's gift includes:

• $240 million to modernize and transform the outpatient care facilities of Emory's Woodruff Health Sciences Center. This will enable Emory to create a place where the physicians and scientists who make up The Emory Clinic will offer an ideal patient-centered experience supported by the power of translational research, so as to set a new world-class standard for health care.

• $12.5 million for the establishment of The Presidential Fund, to be invested selectively in initiatives related to the advancement of Emory's strategic plan.

• $9 million for renovation of Emory's Woodruff Health Sciences Center Administration Building (WHSCAB), the administrative home of the university's Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

"We are excited and deeply gratified by the confidence in Emory's future expressed by this gift from the Woodruff Foundation," said President James W. Wagner. "At the same time, we feel a great responsibility to steward these funds to ensure they achieve the greatest possible impact of advancing Emory toward its vision."

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Contact: Nancy Seideman
nseidem@emory.edu
404-727-0640
Emory University Health Sciences Center
17-Nov-2006