Gifts critical to our goals

CHAPEL HILL -- The roles of philanthropy and corporate funding in academia are significant issues that should be discussed while protecting academic freedom. Our premise is that there is a role for corporate-university partnerships. Moreover, they can provide ethical resources for research to solve 21st century problems.

Some of the greatest challenges we face are in public health. Daunting public health problems, such as obesity, lack of safe drinking water, health disparities and infectious diseases, threaten our health and economic well-being.

The UNC School of Public Health is a leader in finding solutions to these challenges. Rated as the top public school of public health (U.S. News & World Report, March 30, 2007), we are enormously proud to be North Carolina's school of public health.

Funds from the state, though generous, cover only 18.3 percent of the school's budget. As federal and state funding sources decline, we can choose to scale back or press forward. We are compelled to press forward.

Schools of public health and their universities rely increasingly on philanthropy as a critical source of funds for student and research support and to start new programs. Generous contributions from individuals and families, including Dr. Dennis Gillings and his wife Joan Gillings, are essential. About one-fifth of schools of public health are named for benefactors, and many other schools seek such gifts.

A pledge of $50 million last year from Dennis and Joan Gillings is allowing us to become the first school of public health to focus on accelerating evidence-based, academic solutions to communities. Already the Gillings' gift is reaping benefits for North Carolinians. This funding brought one of the world's leaders in microfinance and health, Dr. Sheila Leatherman, to our school to teach how microfinance projects can help fight poverty and improve the health of the poor. Gillings Innovation Laboratories will fund a variety of public health projects aimed at solving important public health problems.

The Gillingses' gift was subjected to great scrutiny within the university to assure that it conforms to university policies and principles, including academic integrity and autonomy. Their $50 million pledge is a personal not a corporate gift. Dennis Gillings was a professor in our Department of Biostatistics at the School of Public Health for 17 years, and Joan Gillings worked as an administrator in the school.

Prior to receipt of the gift, we convened a committee of faculty and staff within the school. Our plans for the gift are a product of those discussions.

Our faculty members have embraced the opportunity to submit applications for Gillings Innovation Laboratories. Decisions about who will receive funds will be made on the basis of a robust process that includes input from subject matter experts around the U.S., leaders within the school and selected members of a new Acceleration Advisory Committee. Dennis and Joan Gillings have said repeatedly that they want to be helpful but not micromanage our processes.

The new Acceleration Committee does not set policy. The school has one policy board -- the Public Health Foundation Board.

Some have expressed concern about corporate interests in universities today. While caution is appropriate, not all corporate ties should be avoided. In addition, individual gifts should not be confused with corporate funding. Universities will not thrive without diversifying their funding beyond state and federal support. Generous gifts from individuals and partnerships with corporations may permit universities to grow in ways that align with their missions.

The School of Public Health has a long history of partnering with a variety of businesses, from food and beverage companies to environmental firms. Such partnerships have led to effective obesity-prevention programs for young children and improved environmental health monitoring devices and tests. Responsible partnerships are a 21st century imperative. They can be conducted in a way that is ethical, socially responsible and beneficial to the school, North Carolina and participating companies. Last fall, we developed a statement of principles concerning the kinds of companies with which we will partner.

Today, more than ever, schools of public health must anticipate the next big public health challenges. Then we must accelerate solutions to problems in North Carolina and around the world. The gift from Dennis and Joan Gillings helps us do what we are most passionate about: solve big public health problems. We could use a few more supporters like them!

(Barbara K. Rimer is dean and alumni distinguished professor at the UNC School of Public Health. Julie MacMillan is managing director of Carolina Public Health Solutions.)