Irene and Don Dizney donated funding to establish the Donald R. and Irene S. Dizney Dean of the College of Health and Human Services, the first endowed deanship in the university’s history.
Thanks to a donation from Irene and Don Dizney, Western Kentucky University has established its first-ever endowed deanship, the Donald R. and Irene S. Dizney Dean of the College of Health and Human Services.
According to an article on Western Kentucky University’s website, Timothy C. Caboni, the university’s president, was quoted as saying of the couple’s donation, “Not only have Don and Irene made a historic gift to endow the first deanship at WKU, they have also endowed the first position within the College of Health and Human Services. Continuing with firsts, as we aspire to become Kentucky’s first Carnegie classified high research institution or R2 for short, positions like the Dizney Dean with an active research agenda will continue our growth and position us well.”
Don attended Western Kentucky University from 1962-1964 and received an Honorary Doctor of Public Service in 2014. He is the former Chairman of the Board of United Medical Corporation. The Dizneys have been longtime financial supporters of the university. Their previous financial support includes the nursing program’s Dizney Clinical Learning Center.
The gift the Dizneys made to establish the endowed deanship was matched via Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education 2022-2024 Endowment Match Program through the Comprehensive University Excellence Trust Fund. This made the impact of the donation even greater.
Dr. Tania Basta is the first Donald R. and Irene S. Dizney Dean of the College of Health and Human Services. Dr. Basta began working at Western Kentucky University in 2019.
Speaking of the endowed deanship, Dr. Basta said, “I am honored and humbled that Don and Irene Dizney made this generous donation to endow the first Dean position at WKU. This funding will support my wellness research initiatives focused on increasing the quality of life among our faculty, staff and students. Thank you for your profound belief in my academic success, leadership and the future of CHHS. As recruiting academic leaders gets more competitive, this will ensure that CHHS is well-positioned to recruit and retain a Dean with demonstrated excellence in research. We prepare health and human services professionals who will work to improve the quality of lives in their communities and beyond. Nothing is more important than the health and quality of life of the communities we serve, and our graduates positively impact both daily. I believe this gift reflects the outstanding work we do every day to educate future health and human service professionals.”
Speaking of their decision to endow a deanship at the university, Don said, “We believe that to whom much is given, much is expected in return, and we’ve been happy to give back to the University when we can.”
Irene added, “We’ve been unbelievably blessed, and we wanted to share. Giving back gives us great joy.”
For more information about Western Kentucky University, visit the school’s website.