ISU receives corporate-sponsored professorship from PMC

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho State University College of Business announced the establishment of the University’s first-ever corporate-sponsored professorship thanks to a generous $250,000 donation made by Portneuf Medical Center.

The Portneuf Medical Center Endowed Professorship will benefit the College of Business’s Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program indefinitely as an honor given to the MHA program director.

Assistant Professor of Healthcare Administration and MHA Program Director, Dr. Daniel Kim will be the first faculty member in the department to hold the new professorship title.

“We are so grateful for Portneuf’s generous support of our College and the MHA program as it continues to grow,” Kim said. “This goes to show how Portneuf Medical Center is devoted to supporting both our College and the program and how much the College of Business is invested in supporting its faculty.”

Idaho State’s MHA program, launched in fall 2018, is the first and only MHA program offered in Idaho. Enrollment has consistently grown each year.

“It truly is a huge honor to be the first recipient of this historic gift and to be able to represent two organizations (PMC and the College of Business) that do so much, not just for the city of Pocatello, but for the entire state of Idaho and beyond,” Kim said. “I personally want to thank the leadership team from both Portneuf Medical Center and the Idaho State College of Business for their continued support of our MHA program.”

As the program continues to grow, Kim said the professorship will provide the means to strengthen the presence of Idaho State’s MHA program by helping students to travel to different conferences and to provide more internship opportunities.

“We are also in the process of working to gain CAHME accreditation for the program, which will put Idaho State’s program on the radar as a top healthcare management program in the world,” Kim said.

The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) represents the most distinguished level of accreditation a healthcare management program can achieve. If Idaho State is to secure the accreditation with CAHME, they will be one of very few programs in the world to hold both a CAHME accreditation and a dual accreditation in business and accounting from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

“As a teaching hospital and as the leading health care organization in the community, Portneuf Medical Center is dedicated to investing in the future of healthcare in the region,” said Jordan Herget, President and Chief Executive Officer at Portneuf Medical Center. “We are attune to the healthcare needs in our community and we are honored to partner with and to help develop the Master of Healthcare Administration program at Idaho State University. Investing in meaningful projects, like the establishment of this endowed professorship, improves the health and quality of life in southeastern Idaho.”

In the last year, the College of Business has received gifts to establish three new professorships in finance, marketing, and the MHA program. This gift will represent the fourth professorship in the College including an existing professorship in accounting.

“No matter what format a college course is delivered in, the most important thing is that students have a great professor to help them learn and achieve their educational dreams,” said College of Business Dean, Dr. Shane Hunt. “Endowed professorships are incredibly helpful to us in always making sure we can recruit and retain the best professors who, in turn, make incredibly positive impacts on generations of our Idaho State University College of Business students.”