CMU alumni commit $1 million for medical school scholarships

A $1 million gift from Central Michigan University alumni Tim and Nan Buerger Maczka will help cover medical school costs for future physicians committed to serving residents and families in central and northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

Their namesake scholarship targets current and future students in the Covenant Healthcare College of Medicine at CMU, especially those who grew up north of M-57, which runs between Kent and Genesee counties.

“We grew up in northern Michigan and have family members in health care,” Nan said. “We know about the physician shortage and people traveling an hour or more to see doctors, especially specialists. We want to support students who come from and are determined to deliver care in communities where doctors are most desperately needed.”

“When we had to start taking minimum required distributions from our IRAs, we decided to set all of it aside for charitable causes,” Tim said. “We began to think it was time to be a little bold.” 

That decision will change lives for generations to come, CMU President Neil MacKinnon said.

“Tim and Nan Buerger Maczka are forging the future for CMU students and individuals and families across rural communities,” MacKinnon said. “They are among the most dedicated alumni who are creating landmark momentum for Central Michigan University and the state.”

Tim, a 1974 CMU graduate with a degree in business, worked in banking for 26 years before co-founding Team Financial Group in 2001 in Grand Rapids. Team Financial provides equipment financing for small businesses. Tim is still working, and their son, Matt, is president and CEO of the company. 

Nan graduated from CMU in 1975 with a degree in home economics, part of the first class in which the degree included classes in art and interior design. She became one of 50 designers on staff at J. L. Hudson’s, working at the Flint store until their oldest son was a year old. She went on to work in landscaping design and sales, as well as in art production and retail.

Jennifer Cotter, vice president for Advancement, said the Buerger Maczkas’ generosity embodies the commitment she sees everywhere from CMU alumni.

“Nan and Tim have enormous hearts; they deeply want to help rural and medically underserved communities,” Cotter said. “They are leaders, taking action to offset medical school costs for students and driven by compassion for Michigan residents.”

The Maczkas have three children: Matt, Greg, who is self-employed in the technology and software arena, and Stephanie, who is a pediatrician and partner with Alger Pediatrics in Grand Rapids. The practice is in an old house, in a diverse, community neighborhood. Stephanie has worked there 11 years, with patients as her mission, Nan said.

Nan’s mother was a registered nurse at the hospital in Cheboygan, and her favorite department was pediatrics, where she found “the greatest source of hope,” Nan said.

Reflective of the family’s passion for health care, Nan’s sister is a nurse in Alpena and a cousin is a nurse practitioner in neonatal intensive care in Texas. Tim’s sister is a social worker in rural northern Michigan. They have nine grandchildren and hope one or more follow on the health care path.

In addition to their endowment for future physicians, the Buerger Maczkas previously have sponsored student entrepreneurs in CMU’s annual New Venture Challenge and contributed to the Student Emergency Fund and Student Food Pantry. They’ve also supported CMU’s Finish Up Chips Scholarship, for undergraduates within 25 credits of graduation who are at risk of dropping out due to financial hardship.