The new Tanner College of Dental Medicine is named after the Tanner family, who donated a significant amount of money to the school last year.
The late Robert B. Tanner and his wife, Carol Goff Tanner, have deep roots in eastern Kentucky. Their families are from Ashland, Kentucky, and they each grew up there, and raised their own children there, as well. As such, when Robert passed away in 2018, Carol and their family decided it only made sense to focus their philanthropy in the region they spent their lives calling their home.
The Tanners made a substantial gift of $25 million to the University of Pikeville in 2022. In an article on the University of Pikeville’s website, President Burton J. Webb, Ph.D., expressed his gratitude for the donation, saying, “We are deeply grateful to the Tanner family for their transformative gift. Generations of Appalachians will benefit from their generosity. They will be cared for by dentists who trained at the Tanner College of Dental Medicine. What a gift!”
As a family, the Tanners were passionate about helping to increase access to quality healthcare in the Appalachian region. Carol’s father was an alumni of University of Pikeville, so she had kept up with the school. She found the number of physicians who were graduating from the school, and then continuing to stay in the area to serve rural-dwelling families, to be incredibly impressive. This led to her desire to help the school continue to churn out medical practitioners who will in turn continue to serve the area.
“UPIKE, in the heart of Appalachia, is ideally located to serve not only Eastern Kentucky, but Southwest Virginia, West Virginia, and beyond. UPIKE is uniquely positioned to serve an area that is traditionally underserved, providing institutional learning and opportunities for outreach programs. My family and I are very fortunate to be able to give back to this beautiful area we will always call home,” Carol said.
The Board of Trustees at University of Pikeville took this all into consideration when deciding on the name for the new College of Dental Medicine. Their generosity has made it possible to begin accepting dental medicine students in 2025. The College will be located near campus in downtown Pikeville, and it will run with the intention of educating students who will provide quality dental care to Appalachian region residents.
For more information about the University of Pikeville, visit the school’s website.