The new Campbell University Medical School, which is due to be opened in 2013, has already had over 700 applications and received $4 million in donations. The new School of Osteopathic Medicine will focus on traditional medical treatments as well as general wellness and disease prevention.
Campbell University’s medical school will be the first of its kind to open in the state of North Carolina. It will occupy about 96,500 square feet and house a mixture of offices, study rooms, laboratories, classrooms and a library. About 150 students will be enrolled in the first classes, but eventually the center will have 600 students. The entire construction project will cost $60 million and is expected to be opened next August.
Two donations of $2 million each have been donated to the center by the Golden LEAF Foundation and The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.
The center will not only help create much needed doctors in North Carolina, but will also inject a substantial amount into the state economy. Within the first ten years of being open the school is expected to generate an extra $300 million for the state and create 1,150 jobs.
The founding dean, Dr. John Kauffman said; “We believe the need is great, but the future is bright. Our students will go out in the surrounding communities and put down roots.”
Students will spend the first half of their four year courses training at the new center and the last two years training in various clinics and hospitals. The recent donations will help to pay for state of the art robotics systems that will be used in the simulation labs. The leader of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Karen McNeil-Miller said she felt obligated to donate the money. “This was, without a doubt, one of the best investments we could make.” she said.
