M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grant helps modernize Dental Hygiene
$250,000 grant to outfit program with new equipment
M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has provided a quarter of a million dollars to Clark College for new dental equipment for its nationally recognized Dental Hygiene program.
The $250,000 grant from Vancouver-based M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust will provide modern equipment to ensure Clark students have access to current advances in the dental industry and that the program meets federal privacy regulations.
Clark College is currently in a $20 million comprehensive fundraising campaign and the grant assists in fulfilling a goal for its signature Dental Hygiene program. The college has just over $2 million left to raise to meet its private-sector support objective.
The Firstenburg Family Dental Hygiene Education & Care Center is currently undergoing renovations, adding more chairs to the teaching clinic, adding paperless charting software and updating the digital radiography area, as well as other enhancements. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grant enables the college to purchase such items as instructional cameras, workstation computers, radiology computers, patient privacy materials and vacuum systems.
“Our students and graduates work in dental offices, as well as volunteer across our region—helping children and adults who otherwise wouldn’t have access to dental care. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grant will have a huge impact—not only for the college—but for our community, as it will allow our students to be trained in the latest technology and be immediately prepared for the workforce,” said Clark College President Robert K. Knight.
Lisa Gibert, president/CEO of Clark College Foundation said, “The grant will give more students the tools they need to care for underserved patients and the faculty will have access to latest advances in teaching equipment. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is directly impacting the wellness of residents in Southwest Washington and for that, we are grateful.”
The M. J. Murdock Trust was created by the will of the late Melvin “Jack” Murdock, the co-founder of Tektronix Inc. and resident of Vancouver, Wash. Murdock believed in science as a main source of knowledge, and knowledge as a key ingredient to addressing and solving the issues and challenges of the world. The trust seeks to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants and enrichment programs to nonprofit organizations that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, spiritual and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways, according to its website.