“Someone’s generosity made all the difference in my education,” Chris Laubenthal said. “I want to do what I can to make sure someone else gets the same chance I did.” As the Clinical Administrator for the Department of Internal Medicine, Mr. Laubenthal sees firsthand how a modest investment can produce a dramatic difference. But even as an undergraduate at the University of Iowa, it was when he received a scholarship for some of his living expenses that he saw the impact philanthropy could make. “I don’t know what I would have done without it,” Mr. Laubenthal said. He went on to earn both his BA and his MBA at Iowa.
Mr. Laubenthal’s experience, along with the recognition that his grandparents did not get the same opportunity, led Mr. Laubenthal to establish the Louis and Dorothy Laubenthal Memorial Scholarship in 2011. Each year, students receive this scholarship to assist them in their first year of study toward a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. (Learn more about the current and previous recipients of the scholarship.)
Mr. Laubenthal has not been content to just give financially to support the education mission of the University of Iowa. He is also donating his time, serving as one of the chairs of the We Are Phil campaign in the first week in October. For the sixth year in a row the UI Center for Advancement will sponsor a drive to encourage more giving from UI faculty and staff toward the people, programs, and projects that are closest to their heart. For a list of standing research and enrichment funds that directly benefit activities within Internal Medicine, visit http://www.givetoiowa.org/im.
Mr. Laubenthal says that there will be a number of activities across campus encouraging people’s involvement during this year’s We Are Phil campaign. “It should be a lot of fun,” he said. The goal is to show everyone who works at the university what can be accomplished when efforts are combined. “We Are Phil is a great reminder that we all share a common love for Iowa.”