University of New England

UNE faculty member adds $300,000 challenge to original $1 million gift for biomedical research building

BIDDEFORD – Peter Morgane, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of pharmacology at the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, has issued a $300,000 fundraising challenge to add to the $1 million gift he gave last month.

If the University raises $300,000 toward the new building by the end of the year, Morgane will increase his giving by an additional $300,000. The gifts are both given in memory of Morgane’s late wife, Cécile, and will be used to help fund a biomedical research building on the University Campus in Biddeford.

Peter Morgane, Ph.D., announced that in addition to a $1 million gift in support of UNE's biomedical research facility, he is increasing the gift by another $300,000, in the form of a challenge grant.

Morgane said he decided to support the biomedical research facility because "I had a good feeling about it and its prospects for development and advancement. The new facility will enable us to attract new researchers, support our current researchers and educate more students in research methods – the gift is like an ‘enzyme in the system’ to get things going."

UNE President Danielle Ripich, Ph.D. said, "This gift means so much more coming from one of our own. Peter Morgane is a world-class scientist with over 220 publications. He understands the importance of research at the University of New England."

She added, "Dr. Morgane’s generous gift honoring his late wife Cécile, will benefit generations of students at UNE. His legacy is his commitment to science and to the UNE community."

Biomedical Research Facility

UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine’s new state-of-the-art biomedical research facility will enhance the College’s longstanding commitment to excellence in medical education. Upon completion the building will house ten or more teams conducting important biomedical research. It will allow UNECOM’s top-flight faculty to dedicate themselves to educating physicians and advancing the practice of medicine, while giving students greater opportunities to experience research as part of their medical studies.

The building will be named the Pickus Center for Biomedical Research in recognition of Owen Pickus, D.O. and trustee of the University of New England, and his wife, Geraldine Ollila-Pickus, D.O., whose $1 million challenge grant got the campaign started and made the prospect of this important facility a reality. Once the University meets the Morgane Challenge, only $500,000 will remain to be raised from the project’s $6 million goal. Morgane hopes his gift will inspire others to join him and make it possible to break ground this year.

Dean of the University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine Boyd Buser, D.O., said, "Dr. Morgane's generosity is an inspiration to all who care for the University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine. It is a testament to the past, present and most importantly, the future of our school."

Peter Morgane, Ph.D.

A resident of Kennebunkport, Maine, Morgane has been a faculty member and researcher in UNECOM’s Department of Pharmacology since 1985. He came to UNE following a long career in research, primarily at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, and has published 227 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Over his career, he has garnered more than $4.5 million in NIH and NSF grants for research that took him to Mexico, Florida and Massachusetts.

Currently, Morgane is working on a collaborative project investigating the basic principles of the serotonin and dopamine systems in the brain and studying the organization and function of the extended limbic brain involved in motivation and emotion.

For more information on the biomedical research building campaign, you may view /giving/com.asp or contact Erin A. Peck, associate director of development, at (207) 221-4598.

(Press release posted April 24, 2007)