Indiana University of Pennsylvania has received $1.9 million from the United States Department of Agriculture to support IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and the education of its future students.
These grant funds support creating classrooms and laboratories for IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and the purchase of equipment used in rural medicine, including ultrasound machines.
“IUP is very grateful for this funding and especially for the ongoing and unwavering support from our local, state, and federal legislators,” IUP Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said. “IUP remains fully committed to addressing the commonwealth’s healthcare shortages, especially in our rural communities, and these funds will help us to provide the training that future students in our College of Osteopathic Medicine need to provide outstanding care for their future patients,” she said.
“The diagnostic and clinical training equipment funded by this grant is critically important to providing hands-on experience with commonly used equipment and procedures to prepare our students for success in their clinical rotations, especially in their work diagnosing and treating patients,” IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine Founding Dean Miko Rose said. “These funds also help us to provide the high-quality, state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories that best enhance teaching and learning.”
IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine offices and classrooms will be sited in both McElhaney Hall and Jane E. Leonard Hall. The spaces will be ready for use before the end of the year.
The funding from the USDA is part of IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive fundraising campaign, the largest campaign in the history of the university. The campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration, celebrated during the 2025–26 academic year.
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 the IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine. As of June 30, Impact 150 is at $122,847,723, or 81.9 percent of its $150 million goal, with 60,291 gifts from 13,574 donors.
IUP’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of an IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine in December 2022. There are only three colleges of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania, all at private universities; IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the commonwealth.
In May, IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine received pre-accreditation status from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, which means that IUP can recruit and admit students to its College of Osteopathic Medicine and begin medical instruction within the approved osteopathic medical curriculum.
IUP anticipates its first class of 64 students entering the program in fall 2027. Colleges holding pre-accreditation status are permitted to admit no more than 50 percent of the approved class size in the first year and no more than 75 percent of the approved class size in year two, transitioning to the approved class size in years three and four. IUP’s College of Osteopathic Medicine approved class size is 120 students.
IUP currently has 290 percent of the clinical training affiliation agreement spots required for COCA accreditation, all at rural healthcare providers, which will permit students to complete more clinical training than is required by national accreditation standards.
Beyond direct health and career benefits, IUP’s COM is forecasted to bring economic prosperity to western Pennsylvania. An initial feasibility study concluded that in Pennsylvania, a home community can expect a $2.3 million annual economic benefit by having a physician in their town; the commonwealth will benefit from a $1.3 billion economic impact if 60 percent of IUP College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates stay in Pennsylvania to practice, including $3 million in new annual state and local government revenue. IUP will see a $79 million increase in campus economic growth by 2035 by housing its College of Osteopathic Medicine.
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. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the commonwealth.