A proposed expansion to New York Institute of Technology’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, planned for Arkansas State University, has received certification from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, officials said.
The approval gives the schools the regional accreditation necessary to offer degree programs in osetopathic medicine, medical/health care simulation and neuromusculoskeletal sciences, though officials said they still need national certification to begin the program.
Officials from New York Institute of Technology and Arkansas State University plan to make a presentation before the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation in Chicago in early September.
“We’re grateful to the higher education coordinating board for its consideration and approval,” said Barbara Ross-Lee, the vice president for health sciences and medical affairs at NYIT. “We look forward to our presentation to the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation in September. The purpose is to educate physicians in Arkansas and for Arkansas.”
An agreement between the two schools to establish the osteopathic medical school was first announced in March shortly after it was approved by the Arkansas State University board of trustees.
Officials said NYIT plans to invest $6 million of the school’s $10 million startup costs, with Arkansas State contributing $4 million to renovate and furnish its Jonesboro campus’s Wilson Hall. NYIT would also fund future startup costs for the school’s first three years.
“We appreciate the great cooperation of all of the parties involved in getting us to this point today,” said Shane Broadway, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. “It has required a great deal of time and effort by our staff and that of Arkansas State, NYIT and the state Medical Board. We look forward to seeing great things with this partnership for our state.”
There is currently one medical school in Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas. Officials said medical students in the region attend colleges in Kansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
Arkansas State could begin classes as early as the Fall 2016 semester, officials said. The college is expected to accommodate 115 students when classes begin.
“Collaborating with a nationally respected, well established osteopathic medical school and dozens of partners in the mid-South medical community will enable us to address the shortage of primary care physicians in the underserved delta,” said Tim Hudson, chancellor of Arkansas State. “We’re also proud that we can minimize the startup investment while maximizing the transformative impact on our university, community and state. We want to thank the Higher Education Coordinating Board and Director Broadway and his staff, and we look forward to the next important step with the COCA board.”
New York Institute of Technology’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is located on its Old Westbury campus. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students. Tuition is approximately $52,000 per year.
