First-year University of Iowa Doctor of Physical Therapy student Nathan R. Kleckner has been named the 2014-2015 recipient of the Louis and Dorothy Laubenthal Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, established in 2011, commemorates the Laubenthals’ belief in the value of education by providing financial assistance to a first-year student in the University of Iowa Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science.

The scholarship—the only of its kind in a department currently ranked second nationally by U.S.News & World Report among public institutions—is awarded to a student in their first year of study toward a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

The Laubenthal family has deep ties with the university and the UI Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. Chris Laubenthal’s father, Nick Laubenthal, and his step-mother, Karla S. Laubenthal, both built successful careers in University of Iowa Health Care and mentored numerous students within the department of physical therapy and rehabilitation science. Nick Laubenthal earned his B.S. degree, physical therapy certification, and M.A. degree from the UI. Chris Laubenthal received B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from the UI and shares his grandparents’ belief in the value of education.