The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LAS VEGAS (April 8, 2021) – In a private ceremony this morning at the site of the future UNLV School of Medicine medical education building, a name for the 135,000 square-foot facility and the UNLV School of medicine was unveiled: The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. The announcement was made by Lindy Schumacher.
In accordance with his private wishes, which are being fulfilled and administered by the closest and most trusted confidants to the late philanthropist, hundreds of millions of dollars of philanthropy has already been given to charitable organizations. These recipients primarily include academic institutions for supporting medicine, science, and education, Armenian causes – including directly supporting Armenia itself, Armenian Genocide recognition efforts through strategic projects and partnerships, fighting hunger, helping the elderly, and helping children. The vast majority of this giving has been, and will continue to be, anonymous, but this unique naming opportunity had special significance.
Kirk Kerkorian was a philanthropic and business trailblazer in Southern Nevada and well beyond. Locally, he created tens of thousands of jobs in his nearly six decades of work in the community, spanning a stake in the Dunes Hotel in 1955 to building the MGM Grand in 1973 to being the primary shareholder of MGM Resorts International until 2011. The company he formed, Tracinda Corporation, also had properties in Michigan, Mississippi and Macao.
Before his passing in 2015, Kerkorian’s Lincy Foundation gave generously for more than two decades, supporting medical, educational, social service, scientific research and other charitable endeavors. The foundation and Kerkorian’s estate continue to have a lasting and meaningful impact on projects throughout the globe.
Upon completion, The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV will accommodate a class size of up to 120, doubling the school’s current capacity. The majority of the project has been funded by more than $150 million in private donations, including contributions from the Estate of Kirk Kerkorian and Engelstad Foundation, among others.
“Mr. Kerkorian wanted to uplift medicine in Southern Nevada and the medical school is a big step in fulfilling that wish. I know he would be pleased,” said Mr. Mandekic, Executor of the Estate of Mr. Kirk Kerkorian.
The project is being overseen by Nevada Health & Bioscience Corp. (NHBC) and the design of the building was created by TSK Architects. A Brookings Mountain West / Tripp Umbach study found that a new medical school in Las Vegas would equate to people being less likely to leave for medical care and it would be a boom to the economy, equating to an infusion of $1.2 billion per year locally after its first 15 years of startup.
The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV broke ground in October 2020 and is slated for completion in 2022.
The naming for the building and the school is pending due to the Nevada System of Higher Education board of regents’ final approval at an upcoming meeting.
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