A $3 million gift to Lenoir-Rhyne University has created a new academic program focused on childhood obesity.
The Solmaz Institute for Obesity to train certified dieticians and provide dietary and fitness services to the community was announced Wednesday at Lenoir-Rhyne.
The endowment is from Gungor and Diana Solmaz of Denver, N.C. It equals the largest gift to Lenoir-Rhyne for an academic program.
The institute will address the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity in the Catawba Valley area while providing post-graduate training and hands-on experience in dietetics, counseling and fitness — three approaches applied in tandem to obesity.
Dr. Wayne Powell, president of LRU, called the institute "a major wellness service to the community."
"This extraordinary gift will serve Lenoir-Rhyne and western North Carolina ... and provide practical solutions to problems we all encounter," Powell said.
Solmaz, a naturalized U.S. citizen, is a native of Turkey. The successful business entrepreneur approached the university a number of years ago with the idea of creating a program to diminish childhood obesity.
Working with area health-care experts, the blueprint for the Solmaz Institute was developed.
It will offer evaluation, counseling, dietary planning and physical fitness direction to children and their families, regardless of income level or ability to pay.
Several existing academic programs at Lenoir-Rhyne will add expertise to the institute.
Faculty and students in athletic training, nursing, health and exercise science, occupational therapy and physical education will serve the institute's clients.
The dietary certification is not a master's or bachelor's degree program, Powell said, but a post-graduate endeavor to expand a graduate's skills and options.
Students from various curricula can work as interns and gain experience, although university officials think the program will be especially attractive to nursing graduates.
A formal internship aimed at becoming a registered dietician will require a minimum of 900 hours of supervised practice for six to 24 months.
The dietetics program will begin next fall.
Powell said Lenoir-Rhyne will work with schools, health departments and medical centers to identify children in need of assistance in managing their weight.
Parents will be included, too, to assure a child's progress.
The Solmaz Institute also will be involved in public education as part of its aim to prevent obesity.
"When Lenoir-Rhyne moved to university status a little over a year ago, we made a commitment to this community to provide unparalleled service," Powell said.
"The partnership we have engaged with the Solmaz family is making it possible for us to fulfill this vision. This is Gungor's way of giving back to the community," Powell said.
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