Dr. Gerry and Mrs. Reesa Niznick with University of Manitoba president David Barnard on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. The U of M has renamed its College of Dentistry after Niznick following a $7.5 million donation. (@UM_PRESIDENT / TWITTER)
WINNIPEG — The College of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba has received a $7.5 million from an alumnus.
Dr. Gerry and Mrs. Reesa Niznick presented the historic donation on Tuesday through the Front and Centre campaign.
The U of M says the donation will enhance clinical training space, fund special initiatives that enrich the community’s health and well-being, and create reliable endowed funding for the renamed Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry.
“Our college recognizes that dental health is integral to overall health, and we are pleased to see our alumni continue to make such an important impact in the health of our nation,” said Dr. Anthony Iacopino, dean of the College of Dentistry.
Dr. Niznick, born to immigrant parents, grew up in Fort Frances, Ontario, before moving to Winnipeg to attend high school, then the University of Manitoba, in the 1960s. He later set up his own dental practice in the 1970s before developing four different implant designs as alternatives to dentures and bridges, one of which — the Core-Vent Implant System — became the most widely used dental implant system in the world.
To date, about 59,000 donors have made contribution’s to the U of M’s Front and Centre campaign, reaching $466,495,719.
This is amazing! Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Niznick! #FrontandCentreUM pic.twitter.com/hPGE31uF7B
— University of Manitoba (@umanitoba) May 29, 2018
