“One Day” Is Now: Donor Funds Scholarship Now, with Planned Gift Still to Come

In 2000, Carol Medders made a gift through her estate plan so that students from the UAB School of Health Professions would benefit one day.

This year, Carol, who retired from UAB in 1998, decided "one day" was now.

"When you get to a certain age, you've got all this money in different investment accounts," she says. "And you can't take it with you. I decided I wanted to go ahead and endow the scholarship now, and then add to it through my estate plan. I hope that this scholarship can meet the needs of many current students in the school. Plus, I will have the personal benefit of being able to meet the recipients while I'm still around."

The Carol E. Medders Endowed Scholarship in Health Professions is a testament to Carol's long history of helping students navigate the challenging road to graduation. During most of her 30 years in higher education, including more than 27 years at UAB, she worked in admissions and enrollment at the School of Health Professions.

She received the Distinguished Service Award from the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, of which she was president for the 1991-1992 term and served on the executive committee for ten years. She also served as president of the Alabama Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and as vice president of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

The UAB School of Health Professions is one of the largest health professions schools in the nation with more than 20 innovative programs at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degree levels within five departments. U.S. News & World Report ranks several SHP programs in the nation's top 25.

The scholarship will provide assistance to deserving students so they can set aside financial concerns to concentrate fully on academic pursuits.

"So many students in the school are enrolled in coursework for 30 to 40 hours a week and have limited opportunity for employment while in school," Carol says. "Scholarships make it so their loan debts are not as significant."

She looks forward to the day she can meet the first student to receive the scholarship.

"I've always had a heart for helping people that are in need, and some of that grew out of working with the students," she says. "It was an honor for me to work with so many outstanding students while at UAB. I have been inspired to do this, and I hope that my gift will inspire others to consider doing the same."

BE AN INSPIRATION

Like Carol Medders’ gift, a future gift to UAB can serve as an inspiration for others to provide meaningful support. Contact the Office of Planned Giving at plannedgiving@uab.edu or (205) 996-7533 to learn more.