Two gifts of $500,000 each have helped the Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, which is part of the University of Iowa College of Education, make major headway in its $2.5 million fundraising campaign to celebrate the center’s 25^th anniversary in 2013. The gifts were made through the UI Foundation. Dean of the College of Education Margaret Crocco says that these gifts offer a strong testament to the Belin-Blank Center’s vital work.

David Belin

The children of the late David and Connie Belin announced their donation of $500,000 to continue their parents’ mission. David and Connie Belin helped found the center in 1988. This latest donation will support the center’s Belin Family Professional Development Program, which was created in Connie’s honor.

This latest gift is in addition to $1 million the family previously gave through its foundation to establish an endowment to support the program long term.

Connie Belin

“The Belin family truly believes in the importance of preparing teachers in the area of gifted education," says Nicholas Colangelo, director of the Belin-Blank Center. "A focus on teachers was a strong value David and Connie held, and the new gift will enable us to continue this vibrant focus."

The second $500,000 gift commitment is from Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan to support the center’s arts program, which already bears her name thanks to her previous $1 million gift.

Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan

The Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan Arts Program honors an arts teacher each year and provides scholarships to approximately 25 gifted arts students to attend the center’s annual summer program.

“These are tremendously caring and visionary people who want to make a difference in the lives of students and teachers,” Colangelo says. “Thanks to these endowments, we can continue these programs for a long, long future.”

The Belin-Blank Center’s mission is to empower and serve the international gifted community through exemplary leadership in programs, research, and advocacy. To learn more, visit www.education.uiowa.edu/html/belinblank/.

The UI acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information about the foundation, visit www.uifoundation.org.