CU: Dentist can't pull off gift

Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 1, 2006 at midnight

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A Florida dentist who pledged $92.7 million to train orthodontists at the University of Colorado can't come up with the money, CU officials said Thursday.

CU has already named a dentistry building at the Health Sciences Center in Aurora for Gasper Lazzara, of Jacksonville, Fla.

CU will find other funds to operate the orthodontics program if the gift doesn't materialize, said Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Teresa Berryman.

But students could be in for a jolt if their full-ride scholarships are reduced or eliminated. They would have to pay $10,683 a year tuition, plus fees, which are now covered by scholarships, Berryman said.

Lazzara gave $3 million to CU in 2003 to start the orthodontics program. The additional $92.7 was pledged over 30 years.

Lazzara's firm, Orthodontics Education Company, told CU over the summer that the company could not come up with the money, Berryman said. Lazzara could not be reached for comment.

Each year, the program admits 16 dental school graduates who want to train as orthodontists. Of those, 12 receive the full-ride scholarships. The third class of 16 is entering now.

In addition to the scholarship and other operating costs, the Lazzara grant was to cover annual finance costs on the building of $1.6 million through 2033.

Loss of the funding could drive a tuition increase to cover the building payments, Berryman said. But tuition will not rise for students already in the program, including the new class.

Lazzara's program was controversial when it was announced. Scholarship recipients were expected to work for his company for seven years after graduation.

Berryman wasn't sure whether Lazzar's name will remain on the building. "He did give a $3 million gift, so he has been a good friend and donor," she said.

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