UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk Calhoun on Nov. 3, 2021, signs a document signifying the $4 million donation from the R.W. Fair Foundation. The UT Tyler School of Medicine has received notification from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education that it has been granted preliminary accreditation, UT Tyler announced on Monday morning.

All 40 students of the upcoming UT Tyler medical school will get to complete their medical education with almost no debt thanks to a $4 million donation from Tyler-based R.W. Fair Foundation.

UT Tyler and R.W. Fair Foundation officials revealed four-year scholarships for all students, which will cover about $25,000 annually, on Wednesday during a news conference at Willow Brook Country Club in Tyler.

Bob Garrett, president of R.W. Fair Foundation, said the foundation started in 1934 with the goal of supporting the community, the medical field and faith-based nonprofit organizations.

“This once-in-a-generation opportunity is a natural choice for us to stretch beyond our comfort level, and we felt compelled to help lead our community early in giving beyond what the normal limits are,” Garrett said.

He said this donation is the largest gift from the organization.

The $4 million helps address some of the worst measurable health outcomes in Texas (particularly in rural East Texas), enhances local and regional education and invests in the strongest regional economic driver in a generation, Garrett said.

Kevin Eltife, University of Texas System Board of Regents chairman, thanked the R.W. Fair Foundation for “this incredible gift.”

In February last year, the East Texas Medical Center Foundation gave $80 million to help in the establishment of a medical school in Tyler. In the same month, the UT System Board of Regents approved a proposal for the school.

In May, the Texas Legislature approved authorizing the Health Science Center at UT Tyler to put resources toward getting accreditation for a doctor of medicine program.

“To our knowledge, we have never had a medical school launched in the state of Texas that received legislative approval in the very first session requested, that received $100 million in local philanthropy and now has been granted this incredible gift from the R.W. Fair Foundation, where every student in the inaugural class will receive a four-year scholarship to cover their full tuition,” Eltife said. “This is just an incredibly phenomenal day for our community thanks to the Fair Foundation.”

The Texas Legislature made the medical school possible and the UT System provided a strong start, but the funding of this institution is largely a community responsibility, Garrett said.

“We must all step up to the plate to make it all that it’s possible to be,” he said. “The board of the R.W. Fair Foundation strongly encourages all segments of our community and region to join with us in support of this wonderful institution that will greatly enrich the lives of everyone in East Texas.”

R.W. Fair and his wife started the foundation after oil was discovered at one of his orchards in East Texas. They established the organization to give back to the community and region.

Garrett emphasized it’s important to find students who are likely to return to the area after their training to help elevate local health outcomes.

“By making an investment like this, we’re really attacking the problem at a lot of different levels,” Garrett said.

Eltife recalled his days at Hogg Junior High raising money for the student council or the Hogg Ham newspaper, and one of his first stops was at the home of R.W. Fair’s son, James Fair.

“I’ve never forgotten his kindness and generosity. Before he wrote the check, he would always invite me in for a visit and would make me feel like the most important person in the room,” Eltife said. “To this day, I have never forgotten his words of encouragement. This gift is reflective of the Fair family’s kindness and generosity to this community over the years.”

Dr. Julie Philley, UT Tyler executive vice president for health affairs, said the first 40 students will enter knowing they will be debt-free in terms of tuition and fees, and they’ll know East Texas supports them 100%.

Philley said the medical school is seeking students who want to give back to East Texas and improve health outcomes.

“They will learn how to bring life into the world and they will learn how to stand there when life exits the world. They’ll stay in the room when the going gets tough,” Philley said.

She added the donation will change the lives of countless East Texans for decades to come.

“I simply don’t have the words to show how grateful I am,” she said.

UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk Calhoun called the ability to become a physician nearly debt-free an amazing experience to have in this day and age.

“We feel a very special responsibility now in the selection of this first class and educating this first class to appreciate the fact this community, in this instance the Fair Foundation, has stepped up to provide them with this free medical education,” Calhoun said. “And that they will have an obligation back to this community to serve East Texas, to serve our community rich and poor.”

UT Tyler is undergoing the rigorous process to obtain accreditation from the Liaison Committee of Medical Education, an accrediting body that oversees medical education in the United States and Canada, Calhoun said.

The hope is to have the process completed by the fall of next year. That would allow the UT Tyler medical school to start enrolling students for fall 2023, Calhoun explained.

He said most medical school classes start off at about 40 students, and he hopes the program will grow over time.

“We’re very focused on meeting the needs of Northeast Texas. We believe that if we can get a class of 40 to 60 rolling through each year that will certainly help us meet the needs of our region,” Calhoun said. “That’s our number one goal: producing enough doctors to meet the needs of Northeast Texas.”