Proposed IUP medical school gets $20M pledge from foundation, support from Pa. legislators

A college of osteopathic medicine proposed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania has secured a $20 million commitment from its foundation, the largest gift toward the initiative to date.

In announcing the commitment Monday, the Foundation for Indiana University of Pennsylvania said its board is unanimous in support for what would be the first osteopathic school of medicine on a public university campus in Pennsylvania.

“IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine will be transformational – for IUP, for the community, for the region, and especially for the commonwealth’s rural health care needs,” Foundation for IUP Board of Directors President Regina Stover said in a statement.

The commitment brings to $23.7 million the amount raised so far for the college, almost a fourth of what is believed to be needed initially, said Michelle Fryling, a university spokeswoman.

“To stand up the college, we estimate about $103 million, including facilities costs,” she said.

In addition, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, and U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Jefferson Hills, have announced they are seeking $2 million in community project funds in the federal budget for fiscal year 2025.

The university, including the college’s founding dean, Dr. Miko Rose, have begun what could be a three- to five-year process to secure accreditation.

IUP’s Council of Trustees in December 2022 endorsed plans to explore development of the college. University leaders cited a critical need for rural health care services generally, including a shortage of trained physicians for the state’s citizens.

Foundation officials point to numbers from the United Health Foundation showing the ratio of patients to available primary care physicians is 1,367 to 1.

In Pennsylvania, there are three osteopathic colleges, all of them private institutions. They are Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) with multiple campuses and a presence at Seton Hill University; Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; and Duquesne University, which in weeks will enroll its inaugural class.

As of June 30, 2023, the IUP foundation reported an investment portfolio worth approximately $121 million, including $75 million in endowed funds. Its support to campus last fiscal year included $4 million in scholarships benefiting 1,389 students and $3 million for academic and other endeavors, from library resources to new marching band uniforms, officials said.

The $20 million commitment announced Monday comes from unrestricted dollars that have grown over time from operating income, portfolio earnings, and revenue from on-campus housing owned by the Foundation for IUP, the foundation reported.

University President Michael Driscoll said in a statement accompanying the announcement that “we are very grateful for the Foundation’s financial acumen and its commitment to IUP.”

Backers of the project have said a medical college would also be an added offering that could help the university build back enrollment after losses it and other state universities have absorbed since 2010. Enrollment at IUP was 15,126 in 2010; by 2022, the figure was 8,832. It has since rebounded to 9,254.

Hiring Dr. Rose in November 2023, was one of the early steps to establishing the college. It has formally started seeking accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association. The process lasts three to five years.

An expanded Sally Johnson Hall near the Oak Grove has been identified as a potential campus site.

Public and private funds already directed to the project include $2 million in state government funds announced in January by Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana; $1 million from alumnus Rich Caruso in May 2023; $500,000 from IUP’s alumni association in December; and another $150,000 in the 2o24 federal budget.