The Diabetes Care Foundation has pledged $2 million to help the Clifton Strengths Institute grow and continue its mission of developing business students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The pledged money will be distributed via an endowment named after Joan Heiser, executive director of the foundation and a 1980 graduate of UNL’s College of Business. Tim Hodges, executive director of the Clifton Strengths Institute, said the money will help recruit and retain faculty and staff.
In turn, students will benefit from more one-on-one instruction and mentorship as they are developed into business leaders.
While the science in researching and treating diabetes is sound, Heiser said the field could use an entrepreneurial vision.
“Diabetes is a national epidemic,” Heiser said. “There are so many problems that can be solved through entrepreneurs who have ideas for new ventures. The Clifton Strengths Institute teaches and promotes the entrepreneurial spirit.”
People are also reading…
Hodges said the endowment comes with flexibility “to do some exciting things that may not have happened had we not had a gift like this.” The endowment, he said, could allow the expansion of existing programs both on an institutional level and a student level. It could also allow the Clifton Strengths Institute to implement new ideas and programs.
“On one hand, (we can) do more of what we’re already doing and continue to keep trying to do it better. On the other hand, (we can) have the flexibility to start something new,” he said. “It’s a real privilege to be able to do that.”
By pledging the $2 million as an endowment, the Diabetes Care Foundation, which is based in Omaha, has ensured the funds will be awarded in perpetuity.
“We wanted to invest in something that we could support … that wasn’t going to be a one-and-done deal. We want to establish something that will be self-sufficient, that will grow and gain support from others,” Heiser said. “The future will change for those with diabetes.”
Established in 2015, the Clifton Strengths Institute, which is based in the College of Business, teaches the students using the late Don Clifton’s lessons and philosophies. Clifton earned four degrees from UNL and was a researcher and educational psychology instructor at the university from 1950 to 1969.
The Clifton Strengths Institute, Hodges said, teaches and develops students under Clifton’s philosophy by emphasizing their strengths rather than their weaknesses. About 1,000 students participate in the program each year.
The Diabetes Care Foundation’s pledge comes as part of the University of Nebraska’s Only in Nebraska fundraising campaign. Administered by the University of Nebraska Foundation, the $3 billion campaign is designed to support students, faculty, academic programs and research at NU’s campuses plus the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s clinical partner Nebraska Medicine.
To date, the campaign has raised more than $2 billion from more than 130,000 donors.
This is not the first pledge the Diabetes Care Foundation has made to an NU campus.
According to a statement from the NU Foundation, the Diabetes Care Foundation pledged $5 million last year to support the launch of a statewide diabetes care and education program led by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC’s clinical partner Nebraska Medicine.
Heiser also noted the Diabetes Care Foundation has partnered with Creighton University to help rural Nebraskans with diabetes.
16 famous University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumni
Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson, the king of late night TV, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is from Norfolk.
Tyronn Lue
Tyronn Lue is head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jeff Zeleny
Jeff Zeleny, shown with Sen. Barack Obama on Oct. 1, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington, is senior White House correspondent for CNN.
Willa Cather
“O Pioneers!” author Willa Cather graduated from the University of Nebraska.
Ndamukong Suh
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh graduated in 2009.
Ev Williams
Ev Williams, the Nebraska native who co-founded Twitter, spent a little more than a year at UNL.
Ted Kooser
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser got his master’s degree from the University of Nebraska.
Gordon Winters
Joel Sartore
National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore graduated from UNL.
Mary Pipher
Author Mary Pipher, whose work includes “Reviving Ophelia,” will be inducted into the Nebraska Performing Arts Hall of Fame on Nov. 18.
Tommy Lee
Rocker Tommy Lee famously attended college at UNL for a reality TV show.
Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, holds an ice cream bar as he poses for a selfie with Liz Claman of the Fox Business Network, on May 6, 2017. Buffett graduated from UNL in 1951.
Aaron Douglas
Painter, illustrator and educator Aaron Douglas graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1922 and settled in Harlem three years later, where he became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance and became the father of African-American art.
John J. Pershing
Famous military leader John J. Pershing graduated from the law college in 1895.
Alex Gordon
Kansas City Royals’ Alex Gordon hits during a spring training baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Gordon went to UNL from 2002-2005.
Ted Sorensen
After the 1960 election, Ted Sorensen became President Kennedy’s chief aide and speechwriter. He graduated from the College of Law in 1951.
Louise Pound
Folklorist Louise Pound got her bachelor’s degree in 1892 and her master’s in 1895, then spent decades teaching at UNL.