The Xavier community, local and state officials, health care system representatives and more key partners gathered to ceremonially break ground on a 130,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that will house the world’s first Jesuit osteopathic medical school.
Officials shoveled dirt at the site of the proposed Xavier University College of Osteopathic Medicine two days after the University unveiled the first renderings of the facility.
During the ceremony, President Colleen Hanycz remarked on the University’s century-long tradition of excellence in the pre-medical sciences, noting that Xavier students are admitted to medical school at a rate twice the national average. She also spoke on the growing need for access to primary care in our region.
“What happens when you add together two Jesuit Catholic commitments — 100 years of academic excellence in pre-medical education and 100 years of the ‘All for One’ mentality — with a deep focus on social justice and improving the community around us? You get the first new college of medicine in Ohio in almost a half-century,” Hanycz said. “We are honored to be moving into this intersection of established excellence and unmet need, and we could not have gotten this far without all of you assembled here.”
Dr. Steven J. Halm, the proposed medical school’s founding dean, spoke on the strong alignment between the Jesuit Catholic and osteopathic medicine traditions of caring for the whole individual, a tenet which will benefit both future Xavier medical students and, eventually, their patients.
“Xavier’s medical school will establish a reflective and discerning medical community that educates osteopathic physicians in the Jesuit Catholic tradition to be fully alive intellectually, morally, and spiritually in their individual journey,” Halm said. “Our graduates will be relentless in their pursuit of compassion, excellence, and service to their patients and communities in becoming impactful physician leaders.”
Ralph “Mike” Michael, chair of Xavier’s Board of Trustees, spoke on the boldness of this endeavor and his anticipation for the future at Xavier.
“Thirty years ago, when I started on the Board of Trustees, I never imagined I would be standing here today ready to break ground on Xavier University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine,” said Michael. “When you imagine looking out on the site, you cannot help but feel impressed, proud, and excited for this next chapter in Xavier and the surrounding communities.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Xavier’s new medical school would benefit the state’s economy and support Ohio residents’ well-being.
“You’re really answering our need to increase the state’s health care workforce and to keep Ohio being the best place to live, work and raise a family,” Gov. DeWine said in a recorded video played at the ceremony. “Training more D.O.s in Ohio will improve access to health care and promote better community health outcomes. That’s great for our state and great for all Ohioans.”
Currently seeking programmatic accreditation, the University remains on schedule to complete the building in 2026 and to welcome its first class of aspiring physicians in fall 2027. The college’s inaugural class of Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine will graduate in 2031, adding a notable highlight as Xavier celebrates its bicentennial anniversary that year.
By 2038, the college will have educated 1,300 physicians, many of whom will actively work in Ohio’s healthcare workforce.