Dr. David M. Gipp Scholarship Endowment
Dr. David Gipp, ’74, a University of North Dakota graduate, and a leader in the Tribal College movement, led United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) in Bismarck for 37 years. The UND community has recognized the death of Gipp, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe member as the passing of one of the University’s most prominent American Indian alumni. Gipp passed away on Sept. 11, 2020, after a long illness. He was a national leader in matters of tribal education, specifically within the tribal college movement starting in the 1970s.
The Dr. David M. Gipp Scholarship Endowment was established in 2021 by the Gipp family,
honoring the life of Dr. David Gipp. This endowment allows the Indians Into Medicine
(INMED) program
to increase the numbers of historically excluded populations in professional, clinical,
and medical education, and increase the healthcare workforce and address disparities
in access to healthcare and education for American Indians.
Dr. Gipp believed that the path to the future for everyone was through education. Dr. Gipp dedicated his life to promoting access and quality in higher education for American Indian students. As president of UTTC, and Executive Director for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and the Chair of the INMED Tribal Advisory Board, Dr. Gipp’s staunch support of students and his lifelong commitment to the INMED program changed the lives of countless young people.
“I do not know of anyone else who has done so much, nationally, especially in North Dakota, for the progression of American Indian people,”
-Leigh Jeanotte, former director of UND’s American Indian Student Services.
Jeanotte further characterized Gipp as a progressive and a motivator – “a mover and a shaker” – for American Indian education on the national stage. INMED Supports American Indian Medical Students with several different types of services and empowers students to focus on their studies. In nearly 50 years, INMED has graduated almost 1,000 American Indian Allied Health professionals, including more than 250 physicians. Contributions to the Dr. David M. Gipp Scholarship Endowment will provide unparalleled support to American Indian Medical Students; the value of which will be seen for generations to come as we expand and solidify access to Medical Education for future healthcare professionals.
