Two alumni of Indiana University of Pennsylvania have continued their long-time support for IUP with a gift to support IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
Sharon Tahl Cowden and Jere Cowden
Jere Cowden, a 1969 economics graduate, and Sharon Tahl Cowden, a 1971 medical technology graduate and 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, gifted $50,000 to support the proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
The couple makes their home in Sewickley. Sharon Cowden is originally from the South Hills, and Jere Cowden is originally from Avella.
The donation is part of IUP’s Impact 150 $150-million comprehensive fundraising campaign, the largest campaign in the history of the university. The campaign’s public launch took place in August 2025; the campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration.
Impact 150 centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining IUP’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including IUP’s work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine. IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine and IUP’s commitment to addressing the rural health crisis have resulted in funding from individual donors, foundations, agencies, and legislators totaling more than $48 million.
At the time of the public campaign launch, a total of $81,236,852—54 percent of the campaign goal—had been gifted to IUP from 11,673 donors. As of December 2025, the campaign total is at more than $102.4 million, or 68 percent of goal, which includes more than 55,000 gifts made by 12,867 donors.
IUP’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP in December 2022. 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.
Jere Cowden was the founder and owner of Cowden Associates, an actuarial, employee benefit, and compensation consulting firm, now owned by Acrisure, and until he retired, owner of Cowden Financial Advisors, an investment advisory firm. Sharon Cowden was a pediatrician who practiced for 30 years, six of them in rural Pennsylvania. Both are retired from their work; Jere Cowden has remained active with IUP, including with his fraternity, Sigma Tau Gamma. Sharon Cowden is a member of the Steering Committee for IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
“The Cowdens exemplify a couple that believe in donating their time, expertise, and treasure to IUP to ensure that students today and in the future have the opportunities they had at IUP,” IUP Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said. “Their generosity is inspiring.”
Following her IUP degree, Sharon Cowden earned a second bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Chatham College. She completed her medical training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and her medical residency at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award for her work in pediatrics and the development of a home exercise program for breast cancer survivors, Strength & Courage, recognized nationally and internationally.
“We are so grateful for Dr. Cowden’s service and for her generosity,” IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose said.
“Her work with the Steering Committee, and the Cowden’s generosity, embodies a legacy of caring for IUP students and for health and wellness for all, especially patients in rural communities,” Rose said. “Her philosophy of caring is an essential part of the framework for IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine,” Rose said.
“There’s a critical shortage of physicians in rural communities, and the decline is worsening,” Sharon Cowden said.
“When I was practicing, I was very involved with the statewide American Academy of Pediatrics, including offering conferences on immunizations,” she said. “Even then, it was a problem to find someone in small rural areas to give these talks. The shortage is real, and it is critical.
“Hopefully, future students in IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine, especially those who come from rural communities, will be drawn to rural practice,” she said.
“IUP is very important to us,” she said. “It’s where our relationship started, and we had an excellent education here. It’s our hope that other graduates who had the same outstanding experience, and who have been successful in their lives and careers, will want to join us in supporting IUP,” she said. “We both believe that it’s important to give back to the school you came from,” she said.
“My husband and I made the decision together that we wanted to see the proposed college of osteopathic medicine happen at IUP. We thought that the best way to help to make it happen was to make a donation of this size,” she said.
Sharon Cowden said that both she and her husband remain close to friends they met at IUP, including others who have made gifts to the university.
“There is so much here at IUP, including (John J. and Char) Kopchick Hall, and we want to be part of helping the school rise to an even higher level. It’s the right time for a college of medicine at IUP.
“Any skepticism about the possibility of opening a college of osteopathic medicine is gone,” she said. “We’ve far exceeded the number of clinical training positions required, with more than 230 percent of the positions required for accreditation, which is very impressive, and gifts continue to come in support of the project. If you’re a graduate of IUP, it doesn’t surprise you, because we’ve seen over the years that IUP had really kept up and met the needs of what is needed in education,” she said. “The right team is in place, led by IUP President (Michael) Driscoll,” she said. “He continues to be a great leader and champion for the project.”
After graduating from IUP in 1971, Sharon Cowden worked as a medical technologist, primarily in microbiology, for 12 years. In 1986, she completed a degree in chemistry from Chatham College in Pittsburgh before applying to medical school at the age of 36.
“The chemistry degree was my Plan B in case I did not get into medical school. In 1986, I was one of the oldest students the University of Pittsburgh had ever accepted. I was married with two children, ages seven and 10,” she said. “My kids and I grew up going to school together.”
Once she was in medicine, she had an avenue to work with people in other countries and make a difference. Sharon Cowden has volunteered for short-term medical missions in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
A breast cancer survivor and avid golfer, Sharon Cowden met her Strength & Courage: Exercises for Breast Cancer Survivors cofounder Janette Poppenberg as a result of her efforts to improve her own upper body strength and flexibility, which had been diminished by her treatment. She and Poppenberg, an American College of Sports Medicine/American Cancer Society certified cancer exercise trainer, recognized the need to educate survivors and health care providers about the importance of exercise in achieving a full recovery after breast cancer surgery. To date, over 30,000 copies of Strength & Courage have been distributed in all 50 US states and 40 other countries.
Sharon Cowden is the 2012 recipient of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Jefferson Award for public service.
About IUP’s Proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine
IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine has “candidate status” from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, which recognizes that IUP has done the required planning and has the resources necessary to apply for pre-accreditation status within two years. “Candidate status” is the second step in seeking accreditation from COCA.
The IUP proposed college of osteopathic medicine team is working on the next step in the accreditation process, seeking “pre-accreditation status.” When proposed colleges achieve pre-accreditation status, they are permitted to begin recruiting students.
In December 2025, IUP’s Council of Trustees approved the Doctor in Osteopathic Medicine degree, which would be offered through IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine. The next step in the approval process is review by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors.
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.
Securing clinical training sites for students is part of the successful accreditation process; IUP has secured more than 240 percent of the needed clinical training spots, surpassing the 120 percent required for accreditation, at 19 different sites. 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. IUP also has secured a pre-clinical training agreement with the Indiana County Coroner’s Office for future students at IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine and IUP’s commitment to addressing the rural health crisis have resulted in funding from individual donors, foundations, and agencies. In addition to Serafini’s donation, these gifts include:
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In March, Terry Serafini, a 1961 mathematics education and physics education graduate from Pittsburgh, gifted IUP $1 million to the project.
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In December 2025, Ruth Riesenman, of Indiana, a 1964 alumna and retired IUP administrator, designated part of her $25,000 gift to support the proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
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In September 2025, IUP graduates David (1971) and Becky Walzak (1970) made a $500,000 donation for the proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
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In August 2025, John (Jack) and Linda Brose, of Athens, Ohio, gifted $25,000 for scholarships for future students at the proposed college of osteopathic medicine; Brose joined IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine team as a consultant and executive mentor in 2022.
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In July 2025, John Ninosky, a 1993 criminology graduate, gifted $50,000 for future students at the proposed college of osteopathic medicine in honor of his late wife, Tammy Beale Ninosky, a 1993 IUP child development and family relations graduate.
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In June 2025, IUP received a $50,000 gift from Thomas R. Smith, of Hollidaysburg, who received a master’s degree in secondary counselor education from IUP in 1976 and retired from a 40-year career in education.
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In April 2025, IUP received a $1-million gift from an anonymous alumnus of IUP, who is a native of Indiana County, and a $50,000 gift from Lt. Col. Barry Gasdek, a 1964 graduate and 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient originally from Westmoreland County.
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In February 2025, IUP announced gifts totaling $500,000: a $250,000 gift from an anonymous donor and a $250,000 gift from the Fairman Family Foundation of DuBois.
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In December 2024, Theodore Lazzaro, board-certified surgeon and founder of Aestique Med Spa, gifted $50,000 to IUP for scholarships for students in health care professions.
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In October 2024, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors designated $2 million in design funds as part of the 2024–25 State System of Higher Education capital allocations budget for the academic building renovation for the health sciences cluster and proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
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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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In July 2024, IUP graduates Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka (1973) gave $2 million for the proposed college.
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In June 2024, the Foundation for IUP committed $20 million.
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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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In January 2024, IUP’s Alumni Association Board of Directors authorized a donation of $500,000.
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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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In July 2023, IUP graduates Nick Jacobs and Mary Ann Hoysan Jacobs donated $40,000 to advance the project. 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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In May 2023, Rich Caruso, a 1983 accounting graduate from Meadow Lands, 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, announced a pledge of $1 million for the project.
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 during the 2025–26 academic year, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.