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Couple donates $10M to Whitworth University to grow graduate health science programs

Dana and Dave Dornsife have given $10 million to Whitworth University, which will be used to finish construction of a new health sciences building on campus and fund the accreditation process for two new graduate health sciences programs in physical and occupational therapy, the university announced Tuesday.  (Courtesy Whitworth University)
By Kip Hill kiphillreporter@gmail.com
Dana and Dave Dornsife have given $10 million to Whitworth University, which will be used to finish construction of a new health sciences building on campus and fund the accreditation process for two new graduate health sciences programs in physical and occupational therapy, the university announced Tuesday.  (Courtesy Whitworth University)

A pair of prolific philanthropists have made the largest single donation ever to Whitworth University, the private Christian college in north Spokane.

Dana and David Dornsife have pledged $10 million toward a campaign to improve Whitworth’s undergraduate and graduate offerings, as well as improve campus amenities and instruction. Called Whitworth 2021, the project has now raised $151 million with the Dornsifes’ contribution, according to a news release from the university.

David Dornsife is chairman of the Herrick Corp., a steel company headquartered in California.

“This gift from Dana and Dave Dornsife is transformative for Whitworth,” Beck Taylor, the university’s president, said in a statement. “It enables us to proceed boldly and quickly to establish our doctoral programs in the health sciences, including the completion of our state-of-the-art health sciences building and the hiring of new faculty and staff in occupational and physical therapy.”

That building, a 40,000-square-foot facility, is expected to open in 2022. It will be named in honor of the couple, and will be located on the north side of the campus, overlooking some undeveloped acreage and with a view of Mount Spokane, said Larry Probus, vice president of finance and administration for the university.

“It’s a beautiful setting,” he said.

The health sciences lab will contain two new laboratories for students learning about human anatomy and motion, as well as a clinic so that students can see patients, Probus said. Half of the $10 million gift will assist in the cost of building the structure, and the other half will cover expenses in seeking accreditation for the new graduate programs in occupational and physical therapy.

The Dornsifes also previously gave Whitworth $1.5 million. The university’s Center for Community Engagement, which pushes service learning projects, is already named on behalf of the Dornsifes.

The couple has previously donated heavily to the University of Southern California, David Dornsife’s alma mater. He served with Whitworth President Emeritus Bill Robinson on the San Francisco Theological Board in the 1990s, according to the news release.