Donor Impact with Raymond Dunn

Incorporated into a promenade, the grotesques, most of them sports-related, will silently watch over the new facility, which will provide generations of students with the physical space in which to immerse themselves in WPI’s distinctive brand of learning. Dunn says he made his gift out of a love for WPI but also for history (WPI’s) and architecture (the former Alumni Gym). 

 “I actually feel like my financial giving is significantly less relevant than the time that I give to the students,” he says. “The financial part is just what I can do.”

His interest in the university extends beyond service and monetary gifts. The Dunns are the parents of triplets, two of whom—Meaghan and Sarah—graduated from WPI in 2014 with degrees in biomedical engineering and management engineering, respectively.

Though Dunn completed his medical education at Albany Medical College in 1982, he continues to draw daily from his WPI experience.

“WPI placed an emphasis on self-learning and problem solving,” he says. “Especially in plastic surgery, many might be surprised to learn that almost every patient situation is unique and may require a unique solution. When I encounter a problem without an obvious solution, the school and my further training influence my ability to ‘figure out’ those solutions.”

Dunn’s work includes all areas of plastic surgery but especially reconstruction for injury patients, including burns. As he envisioned, his his career is about helping others.

“In surgery, we can start something and, in a matter of hours, have a significant positive impact on a patient’s life,” he says.

To his WPI students, some of whom are aspiring physicians, Dunn says he tries to impart “as much advice as possible. I tell them that they really have to be devoted, love it, and be prepared to work hard, but the rewards are worth the effort.”