Ameritas Group Helps Fund Dental College Oral Cancer Research

LINCOLN, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ameritas Group, a division of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., has made a $250,000 gift commitment to the University of Nebraska Foundation to establish a permanent endowment in support of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Dentistry. The fund will provide annual support for research focused on preventing, detecting and treating oral cancer.

“This gift is another outstanding example of Ameritas’ strong commitment to improving education at the College of Dentistry and improving the health of people in Nebraska and beyond”

In December 2010, Ken VanCleave, president of Ameritas Group, presented the first installment of the endowment.

“This gift is another outstanding example of Ameritas’ strong commitment to improving education at the College of Dentistry and improving the health of people in Nebraska and beyond,” said Dr. John Reinhardt, dean of the UNMC College of Dentistry. “We’re delighted to accept this generous support, which will significantly strengthen our developing oral cancer research and educational activities.”

This endowment augments nearly 10 years of charitable support from Ameritas for the UNMC College of Dentistry. Past gifts from Ameritas have provided significant resources to help underwrite the college’s annual Dental Day for children, rural externships for dental students across Nebraska, pre-clinic lab renovations, faculty and student research, and the dental hygiene department’s Sealant Program.

“This is a natural partnership,” said VanCleave. “We completely support the college’s research, and have no doubt that our investment in this program will lead to improvements in oral cancer prevention and treatment.”

The gift from Ameritas Group also supports the university’s current fundraising initiative, the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities, and one of the College of Dentistry’s goals to strengthen its oral cancer programs.

About Ameritas Group
Ameritas Group, a division of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., a UNIFI company, has served customers since 1959 and today provides dental, eye care and hearing care insurance products and services for more than 70,000 employer groups, insuring or administering benefits for more than 4.8 million people nationwide. Ameritas has one of the largest PPO dental networks in the country with over 160,000 provider access points. Its customer service claims contact center earned BenchmarkPortal's prestigious Center of Excellence certification for 2010, the fourth consecutive year. In New York, products are offered through First Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York, a UNIFI company. Visit us at ameritasgroup.com, firstameritasgroup.com in New York.

About the College of Dentistry
Now in its second century of oral health education and service, the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry is a nationally recognized leader in clinical instruction, cutting-edge research and progressive patient-focused programs. It offers a doctor of dental surgery (D.D.S.) program, a bachelor’s of science degree in dental hygiene and postgraduate training in the oral health specialties of endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry and periodontics, as well as a general practice residency.

About the University of Nebraska Foundation
The University of Nebraska Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that has connected the dreams and passions of donors to the mission of the university for the past 75 years. In 2010, donors designated more than $136 million in gifts to scholarships, academic programs, medical research and other priorities at the university. The foundation’s current $1.2 billion fundraising initiative, the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities, concludes in 2014. For more information, visit nufoundation.org.