Schuneman Family Scholarship Benefits Milbank Community and FARM Students
It only seemed appropriate, the Schunemans felt, that they demonstrated their gratitude to that community. Last year the couple established an endowed scholarship fund at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, the Bill & Jill Schuneman Family Excellence in Rural Medicine Scholarship Endowment, which establishes an annual scholarship to be given to a medical student who spends some of their training at the Milbank Area Hospital as part of the school’s Frontier And Rural Medicine (FARM) program.
FARM is a unique opportunity for a select group of third-year students to complete 11 months of their clinical training in rural communities. Training in rural communities offers the opportunity to experience increased hands-on education and provides a unique view of the rewards and challenges of providing patient care in a rural setting. Milbank is one of seven FARM training sites in South Dakota.
Bill and Jill Schuneman became residents of Milbank in 1979 when they purchased a John Deere dealership there, renaming it Schuneman Equipment. The couple and their four children settled into life in Milbank, immersing themselves in the community, for the next 35 years. “We raised all four children in the Milbank Schools, and they each got a wonderful education. We can’t say enough good things about the community,” stated Jill.
While the family flourished, the Schunemans provided financial and volunteer support to many Milbank organizations, including the Milbank Area Hospital, the Grant County Extension Board, Unity Square Fitness Center, their church and various municipal service committees. Bill is past president of the Milbank Chamber of Commerce and the Milbank Industrial Development Committee, while Jill was a substitute teacher for 25 years.
In 2018, Bill retired, selling Schuneman Equipment, and the business merged with another enterprise to form what is now Kibbel Equipment. Although the couple has relocated to Sioux Falls, they return to the Milbank area often, spending summers at their home on Big Stone Lake, often with their adult children and 14 grandchildren – seven boys and seven girls.
Both Bill and Jill Schuneman come from families with strong medical backgrounds. Jill’s mother was a nurse, her father was in family practice and two of her siblings are physicians. Bill has two sisters who are nurses. In the next generation, both the Schunemans’ daughters, Molly and Marnie, and as well as son-in-law, Daniel Terveen, are physicians and alumni of the Sanford School of Medicine.
In addition to lending support to the community and honoring medical ties, the Schunemans also wanted to make a gesture to honor their children: Molly, Rob, Tom and Marnie. “We discussed ways we could pay it forward, and I immediately thought of USD medicine,” said Jill. “This endowment enables us to give back to both Milbank and USD at the same time.”
Abbey Rieber is the first-ever recipient of the Schuneman Family Rural Medicine Scholarship, currently undergoing 11 months of medical training in Milbank with FARM.
For Rieber, the scholarship represents far more than financial assistance. “This scholarship is a meaningful acknowledgement of the dedication and effort I have invested in reaching this point,” she explained. “More importantly, it reflects the Schuneman family’s commitment and support for the community I have the privilege of learning from over the coming months. Both the generosity of this scholarship and the warm welcome I’ve received so far have shown me that the Milbank area and its surrounding communities are genuinely invested in my education. I am truly grateful that others recognize the great program the USD Sanford School of Medicine has to offer and the significant value of the FARM program for Pillar 2 students.”
Originally from Watertown, South Dakota, Rieber spent several post-high school graduation years in Omaha, Nebraska, before enrolling at the Sanford School of Medicine closer to home. “The FARM program offers a valuable opportunity to gain early, firsthand experience in a rural setting,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to be able to seamlessly be involved in patient care across the hospital, emergency room and clinical settings.”
While Rieber says the specialty she’ll choose to enter is split between OB/GYN and rural family medicine with obstetrics training, there is no question what kind of environment she wants to make her career in. “I am drawn to both the clinical and procedural aspects of these fields, which I believe will allow me to thrive in my future career,” she explained. “I am certain I want to become part of a smaller community. I have come to deeply appreciate the personal connections that are fostered in rural settings.”
The Schunemans’ gift will perpetually support Milbank student physicians like Rieber. And starting next fall, the Schuneman’s gift will also support an additional Milbank FARM student, as the site will host two future physicians at a time.
“If small towns are to survive, they need good schools, good health care facilities and hospitals,” Bill explained. “We hope the endowment supports a continued supply of students who want to return and establish their careers as practicing physicians in Milbank.”
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