Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduates David and Becky Walzak’s appreciation of IUP “as the place it all started” has led them to a gift that will make an impact for the future of IUP and for rural Pennsylvania.
After retiring from distinguished careers, including from work with rjbWalzak Consulting owned by Becky Walzak, the Walzaks, originally from Coraopolis (David) and Greensburg (Becky) have made a $500,000 donation to IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
From left, IUP President Dr. Michael Driscoll; IUP Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo; Becky Walzak, David Walzak, IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Dean Dr. Miko Rose
The Walzaks, who make their home in Ponte Verdra, Fla., met at IUP on Sept. 13, 1968. He is a 1971 social studies education graduate; she graduated from IUP with a degree in elementary education in 1970. They celebrated their “meet-iversary” with a trip back to 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 the Walzak’s gift, IUP has secured more than $34.3 million in private and government funding for the initiative.
“The Walzak’s loyalty and love for IUP, and their commitment to supporting IUP’s mission of making a difference in addressing the rural healthcare crisis, is inspiring,” IUP President Dr. Michael Driscoll said. “This is an incredibly generous gift, and its impact will be significant as we continue our work to establish our proposed college of osteopathic medicine.”
“One of the things I saw in my work with mortgage lending and personal finance was that so many people had trouble getting loans because they had huge medical bills and it really hurt their credit,” Becky Walzak said. “On top of that, they had to travel long distances for medical care.
“When we first heard about IUP’s intention for a college of osteopathic medicine, and that it would focus on educating physicians who would serve rural communities, I thought about my work and my travels to rural areas. During that time, I saw first-hand how so many people had devastating health conditions, which in many cases, led to terrible financial conditions. It struck me that if someone could help these people with their medical conditions, could counsel them about nutrition and preventative care – particularly for women and children -- it would truly be lifechanging,” she said.
“We talked with founding dean Dr. Miko Rose about IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine and its potential impact during a recent visit to IUP,” Becky Walzak said. “We share my belief that a neighborhood doctor’s office in these rural communities --providing care, educating patients about nutrition, and being a place where people can come together and learn about wellness—could be a tremendous improvement in peoples’ lives in these rural communities, and that IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine and its future graduates will play a major role in creating this kind of resource for communities,” she said.
“I’m a very strong advocate for women and women’s rights,” she said. “When I first decided that I wanted to go to college, my father insisted that I should study to be a teacher. While I enjoyed teaching, and it is such an important profession, I want women to know that they can have careers in many fields.
“But all of this starts with women who are healthy and well, with good healthcare in their communities,” she said. “This isn’t a change that is going to happen overnight, but we are very proud to be part of helping to make that change happen,” she said.
“David and I got a spectacular education at IUP; it was that foundation that allowed me to begin my professional life as a teacher and also provided me the knowledge, ability, and confidence in myself to pursue other career options,” she said.
“I went through IUP on scholarships and grants, working summers in a coke plant in Pittsburgh,” David Walzak said. “My father was a member of the union, and he got me the job. It was dirty, hot, and smelly, but it’s how I got through school. The fall after my first summer working in the mill, I brought back a lump of coal and put it on my desk, to remind me of the question: do you want three summers of this, or 30 years of something different? It was the right decision, to complete my education.
“When Becky and I started thinking about making this gift to IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine, we did a lot of thinking and did our due diligence. When we traveled to IUP to meet with folks there about the project, we stopped in a little town in West Virginia in the heart of coal country. We saw so much poverty, people with obvious health issues, restaurants with food contributing to bad nutrition, and the more we talked with one another, and with IUP leadership, the proposed college of osteopathic medicine just made sense. It’s where we want our money to go,” he said.
“Becky and I have been very fortunate in our careers, and now we want to give back. We looked at a number of charities and organizations, but it all came back to IUP, because that’s where it started for us,” he said.
The Walzaks were co-owners of RJB Walzak Consulting; Becky Walzak was president and David Walzak was vice president. The company provided support to companies seeking to improve their operational risk program, focusing on both the effectiveness of controlling operational risk as well as the efficiency and cost benefits received by the company. David Walzak spent 23 years in public education before transitioning to corporate training and development.
“This gift is a true vote of confidence in IUP and in the impact that our proposed college of osteopathic medicine can make, especially in Pennsylvania’s rural communities,” IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Dean Dr. Miko Rose said.
“The Walzaks came from humble means, and their IUP education – combined with a lifetime of very hard work – transformed their lives, and now, this generous gift will create a legacy that will transform and reverberate through the lives of our future students -- and their patients -- for generations to come,” she said.
“Their vision for our proposed college of osteopathic medicine matches the proposed college’s mission and goals, and we are very, very grateful for their support,” she said.
Dr. Rose was hired as the founding dean of the proposed college of osteopathic medicine in November 2023; the hiring of a founding dean is one of the first steps to establishing the college and securing accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). Associate Founding Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Education Dr. Ryan Smith and Founding Associate Dean of Preclinical Affairs Dr. Luke H. Mortensen joined the team in 2024.
In August, IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine earned “Candidate Status” from COC). “Candidate Status” means that COCA recognizes that IUP has done the required planning and has the resources necessary to apply for pre-accreditation status within two years.
The next step in the accreditation process is “Pre-accreditation Status.” That status means that IUP can begin recruiting students to its proposed college of osteopathic medicine. “Pre-accreditation Status” follows additional reports and site visits from COCA’s accrediting team; it is expected to take up to 16 months.
Typically, students in colleges of osteopathic medicine spend the first two years of their education in the classroom; during the third and fourth years, students are based in the community at clinical sites.
Securing clinical training sites for students also is part of the successful accreditation process; IUP has secured 230 percent of the needed clinical training spots at 17 medical facilities, all in rural communities, surpassing the 120 percent required for accreditation. Work to establish additional clinical training spots is underway.
At its September meeting, IUP’s Council of Trustees accepted the proposed college of osteopathic medicine’s mission statement: “The mission of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine, recognizing our roots as a public institution, is to increase the number of community physicians throughout rural and underserved Pennsylvania while creating a national model for rural healthcare. We will fulfill this goal by providing an innovative program of osteopathic medical education that is evidence based, inspiring, compassion focused, holistic, community centered, and affordable.”
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.
IUP’s Indiana Campus Long-Range Facilities Master Plan update, approved in January 2024 by the IUP Council of Trustees, recommended Johnson Hall, Uhler Hall, and Stright Hall be the site for the health sciences cluster. This three-building renovation will provide a transformative modern medical education facility, supporting and housing the proposed college of osteopathic medicine and related IUP health science programs in the College of Health Sciences.
Support for the proposed college of osteopathic medicine is part of IUP’s Impact 150 $150 million comprehensive campaign, launched on Aug. 23 in conjunction with IUP’s sesquicentennial. As of Aug. 1, the campaign has secured $81.2 million – 54 percent of the campaign goal –through the generosity of 11,673 donors.
In addition to the Walzak’s gift, funding advancing the proposed college of osteopathic medicine includes:
- A $25,000 gift from Dr. John (Jack) and Linda Brose, of Athens, Ohio, for scholarships for future students at the proposed college of osteopathic medicine; Dr. Brose joined IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine team as a consultant and executive mentor in 2022; (August)
- A $50,000 gift from John Ninosky, a 1993 IUP graduate, in honor of his late wife, Tammy Beale Ninosky, a 1993 graduate (July)
- A $50,000 gift from IUP graduate Thomas Smith, of Hollidaysburg (June)
- A $50,000 gift from IUP graduate Lt. Col. Barry Gasdek (May)
- A $1 million gift from an anonymous donor who is a graduate of IUP and Indiana County native (April)
- An anonymous gift of $25,000 (April)
- A $250,000 donation from The Fairman Family Foundation (February)
- A $50,000 gift from Dr. Theodore Lazzaro, board certified surgeon and founder of Aestique Med Spa, IUP for scholarships for students in health care professions (December 2024)
- Senator Joe Pittman and Representative Jim Struzzi announced in October 2024 that $2 million from the 2024-2025 state budget has been set aside for the project
- 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
- A $20 million commitment from the Foundation for IUP (June 2024)
- 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 (CPF) process
- 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
- 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
- A donation of $500,000 from the Alumni Association Board of Directors (January 2024);
- In December 2023, Sen. Pittman announced that as part of the 2023-2024 state budget, $2 million was set aside for the project;
- 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
- 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.