And now, UNMC’s top ambassadors will be linked to UNMC in perpetuity — together, appropriately — as their names adorn the building that will house the UNMC College of Public Health.

UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and his wife, Beverly, are the namesakes of the new College of Public Health building, which officially opens today.

Unprecedented growth

Few could have envisioned what has happened under Dr. Maurer’s leadership.

Since he was named chancellor in 1998:

• Campus research funding has skyrocketed;
• UNMC climbed to seventh nationally for its primary care initiatives; and
• UNMC community outreach efforts received the highest honor of its kind from the American Association of Medical Colleges.

Perhaps most notable are the buildings that have been constructed, largely funded by philanthropists who bought into Dr. Maurer’s vision.

A true team

To that end, the Maurers are truly a team. Beverly has long been UNMC’s biggest advocate and Omaha’s movers and shakers know this couple from Brooklyn is passionate about setting UNMC on a trajectory to be a top academic health science center.

“Nebraskans are very responsive if you do good things for the state, and that’s what we’re doing at UNMC,” Dr. Maurer said.

A public example

An example of this, the Maurers say, is the new public health center.

In 2006, UNMC decided to start a public health college. A year later it opened. Four years after that — thanks to support from Ruth and Bill Scott and other philanthropists — the Maurer Center opens.

A comfortable dynamic

The Maurers continue to push UNMC higher. Their calendar is full of events where they mingle with friends and introduce others to UNMC’s vitality.

“I enjoy the relationships both with people at UNMC … and with those in the community who have become close friends,” Beverly Maurer said. “These are people who come to me both with ideas and with any experiences they’ve had at UNMC, and I share and discuss their thoughts with Harold.”

Those thoughts are shared openly, without hesitation.

“I’ll say what I think to Beverly, and she says what she thinks to me,” Dr. Maurer said. “Sometimes we take each other’s advice, and there are times when we don’t, and that’s OK with both of us.”

Plenty left to do

Those conversations are certain to continue.

“We both have a lot of energy, and we have a group of close friends who are just as energetic as we are,” Dr. Maurer said. “We have a lot yet that we can accomplish at UNMC, so there’s no slowing down.”