Emporia couple commit $1 million in support of KU School of Medicine-Wichita

Scott Smiley’s first two years of medical school were spent at KU’s Kansas City, Kansas, campus, and then he went to Wichita. He received an excellent education, he said, and Wichita offered many small-group learning experiences.

“I appreciated that the community worked together to educate students, particularly the volunteer faculty,” Smiley said. “They understand the investment that it takes to educate doctors.”

The Smileys’ planned gift will divide approximately $1 million to establish three funds that bear their names: One will benefit the Internal Medicine Department; one will support residents in the internal medicine program; and one will fund student scholarships, with preference for students interested in internal medicine.

Garold Minns, M.D., dean of KU School of Medicine-Wichita, thanked the Smileys for including the school in their philanthropic plans.

“The forethought of Julie and Scott’s support is inspiring. We appreciate how it will give the department flexibility and assist residents and medical students interested in internal medicine,” Minns said. “Private support is crucial to help us go above and beyond in educating tomorrow’s physicians.”

Smiley pays forward the generosity showed by the doctors who taught him: He has two or three students each year who do their rural rotation with him in Emporia.

“Somebody did it for us, and so now we do it for the students who are coming through,” he said. “It takes everybody moving in the same direction to help with education.”