Colorado philanthropists Richard and Susan Rogel pledged $110 million to the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, the university announced today. The gift will back a variety of efforts aimed at furthering cancer research and treatment. The university plans to name the center for the donors.
The money will go toward a group of collaborative research teams working to develop new approaches and technologies to advance early cancer detection, monitoring, and treatment. It will also launch a new program to bring international cancer experts to the university for six to 12 months to develop new projects and support a team of advanced postdoctoral cancer-research scientists whose work shows promise.
Portions of the gift will also endow professorships, scholarships for medical students and predoctoral trainees, and other programs.
Richard Rogel founded Preferred Provider Organization of Michigan, a health-insurance plan, and is president of the investment firm Tomay. He graduated from what is now the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in 1970.
The couple gave the university $50 million in 2013, which included $30 million to provide scholarships for medical-school students, and $10 million for future university needs. Of the $50 million donated in 2013, $40 million is directed toward the newly announced programs, giving the cancer center a total of $150 million for the new efforts.
Richard Rogel told the Chronicle that personal experience motivated him and his wife to give big to cancer efforts. Richard Rogel lost his father to pancreatic cancer, and Susan Rogel lost both parents and her adult daughter, Ilene, to cancer.
“It is just a horrible thing for a mother to lose a child; it affected both of us tremendously,” said Richard Rogel. “We were very close to Ilene, and to watch her suffer and die at the age of 50 was very tough.”
While cancer programs attract a significant number of big gifts, Mr. Rogel said, there is always a need for more. Having chaired university fundraising campaigns, Rogel has spent a lot of time working closely with the university’s researchers to find out about their needs and the problems they face.
“We have underfunded research in this country, and what we’re trying to do at the Rogel Cancer Center is to right some of that wrong, the wrong being underfunding,” Rogel said. “We’re hoping our gift will encourage others to give, because the needs are so great.”
