Two years ago, when he was a first-year student at WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed), M3 Ethan Webster spotted former Western Michigan University president John M. Dunn at a Kalamazoo coffee shop.
Webster, who graduated from WMU in 2019, couldn’t pass up the opportunity to chat with Dr. Dunn, who retired in 2017 after 10 years at the university’s helm.
“I talked to him about being a WMU grad and told him I was now at WMed,” Webster recalled. “I thanked him for everything he did at WMU and he talked a lot about how proud he was of the work he had done here. It wasn’t just a job for him. He wanted Western and Kalamazoo to be better.”
That legacy left by Dr. Dunn continues to impact WMed students. In fact, not long after his chance encounter with Dr. Dunn, Webster said he learned that he had been named a recipient of the John M. Dunn Endowed Scholarship.
“It really is an honor,” said Webster, a Holland native who earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from WMU. “We all love Dr. Dunn.”
The Dunn scholarship, an award that helps offset medical school expenses for WMU graduates pursuing their MD degree at WMed, was established in 2017 to honor Dr. Dunn for his significant contributions to WMed. The scholarship fund was made possible through the charitable support of the medical school’s healthcare partners, as well as members of the WMU Board of Trustees, the WMed Board of Directors, and community members.
At his first Academic Convocation and State of the University address at WMU in 2007, it was Dr. Dunn who sparked community interest in the creation of a medical school that would build upon Kalamazoo's rich history of excellence in education, health care, research, and life science exploration. Through his visionary leadership and relentless passion, he championed the endeavor and garnered broad support, enthusiasm, and engagement from the university, Kalamazoo's two hospitals, donors, and the community.
By 2011, the medical school became a reality, formed through a collaboration of WMU, Borgess Health, and Bronson Healthcare, and Dr. Dunn served as the founding Chair of the medical school’s Board of Directors.
In addition to Webster, the other WMed students who were recently awarded the Dunn scholarship were M4s Thomas Clark and Serena Karlov; M3s Genevieve Nicolow, Claire Van Der Bosch, and Madeline Yorke; M2s Garrett Davis, Erin Dowd, Jonathan Greve, Alyssa Lopez, Jory Nagel, and Nicholas Pryor, and M1 Brielle Gomez.
Dowd, who graduated from WMU in 2020, said her four years at the university were some of the most formative of her life so far. She was a member of the track and field team during her time at WMU and graduated with bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and biomedical sciences.
She said she’s honored to be a recipient of the Dunn scholarship and the award’s impact in helping bring down the cost of medical school for her and other WMU alumni can’t be overstated as they pursue their dreams of becoming doctors.
“It means a lot to be a part of a community that supports medical students in this phase of our journey before we’re able to give back with our expertise,” said Dowd, a native of Brighton. “Dr. Dunn made a really positive impact on the community and this community is what makes Kalamazoo and WMed really special.”
Pryor, who graduated from WMU in 2021, said it was a “pleasant surprise” when he learned about the Dunn scholarship after his arrival to WMed in 2024. Dr. Dunn had retired by the time Pryor started his journey at WMU in 2017 pursuing a major in Latin and minors in chemistry and biology. Still, he said, Dr. Dunn’s impact at WMU was always evident to him and other students.
“He is such a big name at WMU,” said Pryor, a Kalamazoo native. “I’m really appreciative of the scholarship because any little bit that reduces what I’ll owe at the end of medical school is really helpful. I appreciate it now and I’ll really appreciate it later.”
Meanwhile, Nagel, who graduated from WMU in 2022 and came to WMed in 2023 to complete a one-year Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree before the pursuit of his MD degree, said he is grateful to Dr. Dunn not only because of the scholarship, but also because Dr. Dunn served as Nagel’s white coat sponsor when Nagel was officially welcomed into the medical profession at the MD Class of 2028 White Coat Ceremony in 2024.
“It was just a really cool moment and it felt like everything fell into place, from going to Western to ending up at WMed and Dr. Dunn being my white coat sponsor, to then receiving the scholarship on top of it all,” said Nagel, a native of Otsego. “I set a goal to be as fiscally responsible as possible in medical school and I’m on track to do that and more thanks to the Dunn scholarship. It helps relieve some of that financial pressure as we work our way through what is a rigorous academic endeavor.”
Greve, a Kalamazoo native who worked as an ICU nurse for four years at what is now Beacon Kalamazoo before coming to WMed in 2024, said when he learned he was a recipient of the Dunn scholarship it was a reminder that the community he calls home values and invests in its learners.
“It was really encouraging because WMed wants to support students and it’s an investment in those like me who have a connection with the community,” said Greve, who received his nursing degree from WMU in 2019. “WMed is unique and it’s a great school.”
As he thought about his path to WMed, Webster said his decision to pursue a medical degree was delayed initially by his worries about the cost of such a move and the potential student debt he would take on. But his love of the sciences and a desire to care for others kept drawing him back.
“Medicine is this wonderful mix of caring for those in need and problem solving,” he said. “It’s a beautiful enmeshment of both of those things.”
Three years in, Webster says his time at WMed and being a recipient of the Dunn scholarship has served to reassure him that his choice to pursue his dream of becoming a physician was the best decision he could have ever made.
“The scholarship is almost like a compounding gift and it’s something that allows you a little more freedom of choice in looking at what you actually want to do in medicine,” Webster said. “I’m absolutely grateful for the gift.”