Forty-five years after losing their brother Otto to a fatal Illinois arcade shooting in 1977, Marty Meisenheimer and his wife Jill established a fund at IU to fight gun violence.
Bob Nolan, executive director of development for the School of Public Health, said the fund will help not only IU, but the nation as a whole.
“This gift will allow us to invest in research around gun violence and gun violence prevention,” Nolan said. “And, hopefully, contribute to the body of knowledge in a way that will allow us to find some solutions.”
The Meisenheimers are not responding to interviews, but Nolan said they believe establishing a center for prevention of gun violence can help reduce tragedies like Otto’s. Jill Meisenheimer is an alumna of the school, and the family is from Indiana.
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Jon Macy, assistant dean for graduate education, said resources such as this fund are necessary to combat the increasing number of mass shootings in the U.S.
“This is a critical public health issue that needs a major response,” Macy said. “One of the things that's been really lacking for a long time, is adequate funding to do research to figure out solutions to the problem.”
The Meisenheimer’s goal is to establish this research center.
“The hopes are that it will allow the School of Public Health to become a leader in conducting gun violence prevention research nationally,” Macy said. “It's going to provide needed resources for faculty to conduct groundbreaking research in this area.”
Nolan said the new center will be a first for the Midwest, the others are located in Maryland and California.
Following the recent mass shooting at Michigan State University, Macy said it is increasingly important to have these resources in school settings.
The timeline of establishing the prevention center is not yet determined.
