When Mort Levitt graduated from Duke Medical School in 1972, he got an unusual present.

My parents sat me down and told me they were setting up a trust that would make me a beneficiary, with the remainder designated to a medical program, said Levitt, chairman of the integrated medical science department and a teacher of clinical biomedical science at Florida Atlantic Universitys Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine.

They were doing that to indicate their support of my decision to enter the medical profession.

During much of his medical career, Levitt was an Air Force officer teaching medicine, so it took him a while to decide how he would distribute the philanthropic portion of the trust. But soon after he arrived at FAU in 2007, he made his choice.

This month, at a gala for the medical school, officials announced a $3 million gift from Levitt and his wife, Cynthia. The Levitt endowment will pay for the tuition of four medical students each year.

The newly minted Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine welcomed its inaugural class of 64 students in August 2011, and 64 more students in August 2012. Officials have already received 3,000 applications for the incoming class of 64 students.

For the fledgling medical school, the Levitts gift is a piece of the puzzle of gaining national accreditation, a process now underway and expected to be complete in 2015.

Other faculty members have also been donors, but so far the Levitts gift is the largest.

Mort is clearly not only a leader but a person who is absolutely dedicated to the college of medicine, said medical school dean David Bjorkman. He spends a lot of time with students. He is a person who is always looking to make students successful.

Levitts parents were real estate attorneys who became philanthropists and they wanted to instill charity into their family.

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FAU gets $3 million endowment gift from doctor at medical school