John Ninosky, a 1993 criminology graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania from Harrisburg, has gifted $50,000 to IUP for its proposed college of osteopathic medicine in honor of his late wife, Tammy Beale Ninosky, a 1993 IUP child development and family relations graduate.
John Ninosky and the late Tammy Beale Ninosky
The donation will establish the Tammy Beale Ninosky Memorial Scholarship, designed to provide scholarship support to future IUP students pursuing a degree offered by the IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine, with preference given to students who have experienced the loss of a parent.
Tammy Ninosky was a native of rural Huntingdon County and was raised by a single mother after her father unexpectedly died when Tammy was five years old. A first-generation college student, she completed an internship at the Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital to become a certified child life specialist. Child life specialists are healthcare professionals who provide support to children and families to process the stress associated with injury or illness.
Tammy Ninosky spent the majority of her professional life as a certified child life specialist working within the emergency department of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey. She passed away in 2021.
“Tammy was well respected by her colleagues who marveled at how well she was able to connect with and provide needed support to patients, and their families who were receiving treatment in the emergency department,” John Ninosky said.
“I believe that the IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine will be transformative for IUP as an institution by elevating its academic status by being the only public school of osteopathic medicine in the Commonwealth,” he said.
“I also believe that the proposed college of osteopathic medicine will produce doctors who will provide medical care to individuals who live in Pennsylvania's rural areas, which are so medically underserved. One of the reasons that my wife received such excellent medical care during her illness was because we lived in an area of the state with relatively easy access to medical facilities and specialists. Hopefully, the IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine will produce excellent physicians to increase medical care to rural Pennsylvanians so that we all will have access to quality medical care regardless of one's zip code,” he said.
Ninosky, originally from Irvona, has been active with IUP as a past president and current ex officio member of the IUP Alumni Association. He is an attorney.
“It’s incredibly heartwarming to have Mr. Ninosky choose IUP for this scholarship in honor of the late Mrs. Ninosky,” IUP Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said. “While I did not have the chance to meet Mrs. Ninosky, her life and her commitment to caring for children and their families is inspiring,” she said.
“This gift will truly make a difference in the lives of future students in our proposed college of osteopathic medicine and ultimately for the future of health care, especially in our rural communities,” she said. “We are very grateful for this generous gift and for Mr. Ninosky’s commitment to IUP.”
“Tammy always believed that IUP provided an excellent education that provided a rock-solid foundation for her career,” John Ninosky said. “Moreover, IUP had an environment that has always been conducive to both academic and personal growth, which assisted her in being able to overcome the challenges associated with being a first-generation college student who had also suffered the loss of her father at a very young age.
“Tammy and I met at IUP. We both graduated in 1993 and married a year later. Consequently, IUP will always have a soft spot in my heart, because IUP was not only the launching pad for our respective careers, but even more importantly, the start of life together,” he said.
“In addition to being an outstanding child life specialist, Tammy was also a very devoted mother to our two children, Kristen and Johnny, for whom we have had so much pride. One of Tammy's proudest moments was when Kristen entered IUP as a graduate student to be the next member of our family to obtain a degree from IUP.”
In December 2022, IUP’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP. With Ninosky’s gift, IUP has secured more than $34.3 million in private and government funding for the initiative.
Pennsylvania, especially its rural communities, faces an escalating health care crisis associated with the lack of physicians, especially primary care physicians; seven rural counties in Pennsylvania are without a hospital. IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine, once established, would be the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in Pennsylvania.
IUP has formally initiated steps towards accreditation of its proposed college of osteopathic medicine from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, a three- to five-year process that includes submission of self-studies and a feasibility study, along with site visits.
There are only three colleges of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania, all at private universities; IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine would be the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university.
Doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs, complete four years of osteopathic medical school, with an emphasis on preventive medicine and comprehensive patient care. They are trained to recognize the interrelated unity among all systems of the body, each working with the other to promote overall health and wellness. Osteopathic medical schools have a long tradition of serving rural communities. Physicians who are trained in osteopathic medicine are four times more likely to select primary care specialties and almost twice as likely to practice in rural areas as allopathic (MD) students are.
National studies show that graduates from programs of osteopathic medicine are more likely to pursue primary care in rural and underserved areas—57 percent of all doctors of osteopathic medicine practice as general practitioners, and more than 20 percent of DO graduates practice in rural areas. Demand is high for osteopathic medicine training: in 2021, 22,708 applicants competed for 8,280 seats at schools of osteopathic medicine.
In addition to Ninosky’s gift, funding advancing the proposed college of osteopathic medicine includes:
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A $50,000 gift from IUP graduate Thomas Smith, of Hollidaysburg (June)
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A $50,000 gift from IUP graduate Lt. Col. Barry Gasdek (May)
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A $1 million gift from an anonymous donor who is a graduate of IUP and an Indiana County native (April)
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An anonymous gift of $25,000 (April)
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A $250,000 donation from The Fairman Family Foundation (February)
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A $50,000 gift from Theodore Lazzaro, board-certified surgeon and founder of Aestique Med Spa, to IUP for scholarships for students in health care professions (December 2024)
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Senator Joe Pittman and Representative Jim Struzzi announced in October 2024 that $2 million from the 2024–25 state budget has been set aside for the project
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A $2-million gift from 1973 graduates Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka (July 2024). Tim Cejka, a member of IUP’s Council of Trustees since 2018, is an IUP 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award and honorary doctoral degree recipient
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A $20-million commitment from the Foundation for IUP (June 2024)
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In May 2024, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler included $2 million for IUP’s project among his FY25 requested community projects, and Senator John Fetterman included $2 million on his list to advance in the FY25 Community Project Funding process
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IUP received a $150,000 allocation for the project in the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which was sponsored by Congressman Reschenthaler and Senator Fetterman and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 9, 2024
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In February 2024, the Board of Governors allocated $500,000 for a facilities feasibility study for academic facilities for IUP’s health sciences cluster and proposed college of osteopathic medicine
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A donation of $500,000 from the Alumni Association Board of Directors (January 2024)
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In December 2023, Sen. Pittman announced that as part of the 2023–24 state budget, $2 million was set aside for the project
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A donation of $40,000 from IUP graduates Nick Jacobs and Mary Ann Hoysan Jacobs (July 2023). Nick Jacobs is a 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient who has a 1969 bachelor’s degree in education and a 1972 master’s degree in music education; Mary Ann Jacobs has a 1968 bachelor’s degree in music education and a 1993 master’s degree in adult and community education
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A pledge of $1 million from Rich Caruso, a 1983 accounting graduate from Meadow Lands (May 2023). Caruso is a 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and former president and current member of the Foundation for IUP Board of Directors and member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.