Announcing largest gift in CU Anschutz Medical Campus history, 8-21-2018

Dear colleagues,

Earlier this morning, we announced the largest gift in University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus history. With a remarkable philanthropic commitment of $120 million,  The Anschutz Foundation​ and its founder and chair, Philip Anschutz, are accelerating our shared vision and further elevating the stature of CU Anschutz as one of the country’s top medical destinations.

This landmark commitment, which brings The Anschutz Foundation’s total investment in our campus to nearly $300 million, will enable us to leverage the incredible momentum that our faculty, staff, students and alumni have helped us build, and speed our continued growth into the years ahead. As we work together to deliver the finest health care today while reinventing the care of tomorrow, this philanthropic investment couldn’t come at a better time.

The gift will bolster our efforts to recruit and retain eminent leaders in medicine and health care, and to fuel the creativity and innovation that lead to the cures and care of the future. This infusion of resources will support top talent, leading-edge research and intellectual exchange in key areas including personalized medicine, novel therapeutics and immunotherapy, innovation and technology transfer, and mental and behavioral health. In addition, a portion of this commitment will help fund construction of our new interdisciplinary building, to be named the Anschutz Health Sciences Building, on which we are slated to break ground later this year.

Philip Anschutz saw something special when he stood on the grounds of the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center nearly two decades ago, and The Anschutz Foundation has since held a steadfast commitment to helping us realize the fullest potential of our campus. Together, we set an ambitious goal for the future: to build a thriving medical destination serving people from across the state, around the region and beyond. That early bet has paid off, enabling us to realize a 40-year vision for this campus in just 12 years, and the undeniable energy and collaborative spirit alive and well on our campus are products of that shared vision.

The exponential growth you have helped us build shows no signs of slowing, and today we find ourselves at a distinct moment in time. We have the best minds in medicine and health at the helm, a history of innovation and a trajectory of growth unmatched by our peers, and a singular vision for realizing the tremendous promise of this place for patients, families and communities throughout Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West.

This historic philanthropic commitment by Mr. Anschutz and The Anschutz Foundation would not have been possible without you. It stands as a testament to the great work of our faculty and the strong relationships you help build and sustain. This gift also carries forward an invaluable partnership with our namesake and enables us to stake our claim as a leader at the forefront of an evolving health care landscape. Please join us in celebrating all that this inspiring gift will make possible, not only in clinics, laboratories and classrooms across our campus, but in the lives of those we serve.

Best,

Donald M. Elliman, Jr.
Chancellor

John J. Reilly, Jr., MD
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs