Earlier today, the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) announced it received a $25 million gift for a new medical school. The gift is the largest in the school’s history and comes from the Weld Trust that benefits the Weld County which is where UNC is located.
Tom Grant, Weld Trust’s board chair, explained, “This grant is the single largest award to which The Weld Trust has ever committed. As an organization focused on health and education, we are proud and thrilled to award this grant to the UNC College of Osteopathic Medicine. A project of this magnitude dictates the need for collaboration and financial support toward building a strong foundation. We are honored to get the funding for this momentous project underway. We anticipate this medical school will ultimately create tremendous change for the medical field and in particular for our local community.”
UNC President Andy Feinstein added, “Since our founding in 1889, the University of Northern Colorado has made important contributions to meeting the state’s education and workforce needs. This includes a history of excellence in health care and health sciences such as our School of Nursing, which has trained generations of nurses caring for Coloradans today. As our state continues to grow, UNC is again called to address a critical workforce shortage — this time for doctors, particularly those focused on primary care and practicing in rural areas. Together, with visionary health care and philanthropic leaders, like The Weld Trust and the Richardson family, UNC is prepared to answer that call again. Our proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine will have an impact across each corner of the state by strengthening the health care workforce and meeting needs of Coloradans everywhere.”
UNC began exploring a new DO school in the Spring of 2021. More funding will be required to launch the medical school and, as of now, no location has even been designated for the proposed medical school’s campus. Albeit to say, this school will not likely open until well after our blog readers have applied to medical school. Nonetheless, we do enjoy publishing these “good news” blogs as every new medical school brings us a bit closer to closing the nation’s physician shortage.
