E&H Receives $200,000 Toward New Physical Therapy Program

Gift of $200,000 Helps Physical Therapy Doctoral Program, Expected to Start in 2012

Emory & Henry College accepted Thursday $200,000 in checks from various Smyth County entities in support of a doctoral program in physical therapy, which is expected to start in 2012 in Marion.

The checks were presented Thursday during a ceremony in the auditorium of the Smyth County Community Hospital Education Building in Marion.

The money includes $50,000 from the Smyth County Board of Supervisors and the Smyth County Industrial Development Authority, $50,000 from the Town of Marion and $100,000 from the Smyth County Community Foundation. The money from the Community Foundation is the first installment of a $500,000 pledge announced in the spring.

“Today we celebrate a new chapter in our 175-year history,” said E&H President Rosalind Reichard. “Because of the strong financial support of our partners … we now have in place the funds needed to h ire a new director who can help us build a successful program worthy of the rigorous academic standards you have come to expect from Emory & Henry.”

In addition to the check presentations, the college celebrated the newly-hired director of its physical therapy program, Dr. Lisa Zuber. With a PhD from the University of Central Arkansas, Zuber most recently worked as an academic coordinator of clinical education at Western Carolina University.

The money given Thursday to Emory & Henry will be applied to the $1.7 million the College seeks to begin the program, which is set to begin in the fall of 2012.

In addition to donated funds, Mountain States Health Alliance and the Smyth County Community Hospital have agreed to contribute to Emory & Henry the fair market value of a five-year lease on the Education Building and to provide scholarships for three students in the program. The organizations have also agreed to donate surplus physical therapy equipment.

The new program seeks to address a critical shortage of physical therapists in the area while providing an economic boost to the region. The program would enroll as many as 32 students in its first year and as many as 96 after it is fully implemented over the next three years. College and hospital officials estimate that the program could have an $11.5 million economic impact on the region after three years.

The program builds on the College’s mission to address through its educational program fundamental needs of the community. “Emory & Henry is a national leader in community service because we focus our efforts on aggressively tackling many problems in our society, and access to high-quality health care providers is certainly an important issue in this region,” said Dr. Linda Dobkins, Emory & Henry’s interim vice president of academic affairs.

Emory & Henry College is a nationally ranked liberal arts and sciences college located in Virginia between Abingdon and Marion.