Kansas University Medical Center’s efforts to open a new four-year School of Medicine site in Salina got a $300,000 boost Tuesday.

Physician Earl Merkel and his wife, Kathleen, of Russell, donated $75,000 to KU to help develop the site’s curriculum and create a gross-anatomy lab.

Their donation was joined by the Salina Regional Health Foundation, which gave $225,000 to help support faculty, curriculum development and preparation of classroom, laboratory and office space.

The Salina expansion is part of a larger KUMC program to increase the number of medical doctor graduates in the state. KUMC is also planning to extend its School of Medicine-Wichita from a two-year program to a four-year program.