A firm belief in the value of education is one reason alumnus Wayne Mortenson, DMD, and his wife, Sue have committed to a planned gift of $5-million to create an endowed fund to meet future priorities of the University of LouisvilleSchool of Dentistry.

“We are so grateful to the Mortensons who have given generously to UofL over the years. They have a vision to ensure future generations of dentists receive a top-notch education in state-of-the-art facilities,” said James Ramsey, PhD, UofL president. “This endowment speaks to the progress of the school, which recently completed of a $48-million building renovation, increased first-year class enrollment to 120 from a pool of over 3,000 annual applicants, and established a new pediatric dentistry clinic at Kosair Charities.”

The Mortenson family has been a part of UofL for decades, with a dozen graduates from the School of Dentistry dental and dental hygiene programs.

After earning his own UofL dental degree in 1979, Mortenson began a successful career with a practice in Louisville, expanding to multiple locations in Kentucky and Indiana – and partner practices in Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Utah, and Idaho.

“Investing in the talent of UofL students is our goal, as we seek to hire dentists and dental hygienists who can provide exceptional care to our patients,” said Mortenson, who serves as Mortenson Family Dental CEO. “We are always thinking about the future of the company and the impact it will have on the health of the communities we serve.”

Nearly 70 dentists of Mortenson Family Dental and more than 70 dental hygienists call UofL their alma mater.

“Increased competition and a changing health care paradigm make gifts like these vital to sustaining excellence,” said David L. Dunn, MD, PhD, UofL executive vice president for health affairs. “The costs of education and training continue to rise, but our traditional sources of funding continue to decline. Philanthropic gifts enable schools like ours to make the investments into equipment, people, students, so that we continue to meet the dental needs of our patients.”

“The School of Dentistry is honored by this gift, and I appreciate the giving attitude that permeates the Mortenson organization. This endowment will certainly help build the future of the school as we strive to change lives through continued advancements in research, technology, scholarship and patient care,” said John Sauk, DDS, MS, UofL School of Dentistry dean.