| University of Florida Foundation, Inc. | |
| Christopher Brazda | 352-392-1633 |
| Public Relations | 100 NW 20th St |
| cbrazda@uff.ufl.edu | Gainesville, FL 32603 |
| For immediate release | Wednesday, September 07, 2005 |
MAJOR GIFT BRINGS SMILES TO UF DEPARTMENT OF ORTHODONTICS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Creating smiles took on a dual meaning with the announcement today of a major gift to the University of Florida’s Department of Orthodontics.
Clark Hodge and his wife B.J. of Gainesville, Fla., have donated property to UF valued at $620,000. Proceeds from the sale of the property will create an endowed professorship in the Department of Orthodontics.
Clark Hodge, an orthodontist, has been in private practice in Gainesville since 1965. He also has served as predoctoral orthodontics director and clinical supervisor in the graduate clinic of UF’s Department of Orthodontics for the last six years. The Hodges and their two children all attended UF.
“I’m an orthodontist in private practice, and this is my way of giving back to UF for my dental education,” said Clark Hodge. “The College of Dentistry is really making great strides toward being one of the top dental schools in the country.”
Hodge points to the recent performance of UF students on the National Board Dental Examination Part II, resulting in the college jumping to a ranking of 11th out of 54 dental schools. Additionally, 100 percent of the Class of 2005 passed the Florida State Dental Board Exam.
The announcement of the Hodge’s gift comes the week of the College of Dentistry’s dedication of their Philanthropy Center, to be held this Saturday on the first floor of the Dental Tower on the Gainesville campus.
“Clark has been a tremendous asset to the department,” said Timothy Wheeler, professor and chair of UF’s Department of Orthodontics. “The Hodge’s gift is further evidence of Clark’s commitment to our program, not only sharing his talents, but his personal resources as well.”
The funds for the professorship, to be named the Clark and B.J. Hodge Professorship in Orthodontics, will be eligible for matching funds from the State of Florida Matching Gifts Fund.
In addition to establishing the professorship in orthodontics, $20,000 from the sale of the property gift has been designated to the Monarch Society at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The gift from the Hodges counts toward UF President Machen’s Faculty Challenge initiative, which was launched in 2004 with a goal of raising $150 million to give faculty the tools they need to enhance classroom instruction and conduct world-class research. The Faculty Challenge is part of a plan to make UF one of the nation’s premier research universities.
Make a Gift Online