WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (April 17, 2025) — Alumni, faculty, staff and friends showed up for the seventh annual One Day for DMU campaign and raised an astounding $272,524.86 from 342 individual donors. The 24-hour giving campaign for Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences took place from noon-to-noon April 16-17, and the campus was buzzing with excitement.
The campaign kicked off with the Deans' Cup Challenge, which featured three rounds of the "Pin the Organ on the Body" game. Last year's winner, Wallace Boeve EDD PA-C DFAAPA, Dean of the College of Health Sciences, competed against Kevin Smith DPM ('95) PhD FACFAS, Dean of the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, and newest competitor David Connett DO FACOFP (dist), Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, to place an organ in the correct spot on the body, while blindfolded and with the help of a few team members. Placements were judged and scored, and the winner was announced after three rounds. For the second year in a row, Boeve won the trophy.
Nearly 69% of DMU employees contributed during One Day for DMU — a percentage worth celebrating.
"We are proud to say that DMU employees are always generous when One Day comes around each year," says Angela L Walker Franklin PhD, president and CEO of DMU. "This exceptional participation rate shows how much our faculty and staff care about providing the absolute best education and experience for our students. The most frequently-supported fund is the DMU Employees Supporting Student Scholarships, which shows our employees' commitment to our students."
All One Day for DMU supporters have a powerful impact on DMU students. The top three funds contributed to were the DMU Fund, the Glanton Fund and the College of Osteopathic Medicine Annual Fund.
"The university is grateful to all who participated in One Day for DMU and supported the future of health care," Franklin says.
Located in West Des Moines, part of Iowa's capital metro, Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences offers ten graduate-level professional-degree programs in anatomy, biomedical sciences, health-care administration, occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician-assistant studies, podiatric medicine, and public health. Founded in 1898, the institution offers superior academics in a collaborative environment. DMU students' scores on national examinations, pass-rates on board certifications, and match-rates for medical-residency programs are consistently higher than national averages and rates at peer institutions.
