News Briefs COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE RECEIVES PROVISIONAL ACCREDITATION
K EVI N M ANG UI OB
The deans of Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine pose in front of the Center for Medical and Health Sciences, which is on pace to be completed next spring: (from left) Dr. Joseph F. Smoley, associate dean for Academic Affairs; Dr. Eric E. Gish, associate dean for Clinical Affairs; Dr. Ronnie B. Martin, dean; Dr. Timothy O. Leonard, associate dean for Biomedical Affairs.
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) announced in August that it has been granted provisional accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOA-COCA), the programmatic accreditor for Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine in the United States. Provisional accreditation allows LUCOM to officially begin recruiting and accepting students and offer education leading to the D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree. LUCOM has initiated that process, and the inaugural class will begin in Fall 2014. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Liberty’s accrediting agency, also
recently recognized the university’s capacity to develop a D.O. degree program. In gaining provisional accreditation, LUCOM becomes the 30th College of Osteopathic Medicine in the nation and the second in Virginia. The profession boasts 38 campuses in 28 states. Today, one of four students attending medical school in the U.S. is attending a College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Provisional accreditation comes as a testament to the tremendous work of the faculty and staff, our clinical and community affiliates, and our financial supporters,” said LUCOM’s dean, Dr. Ronnie B. Martin, D.O., FACOFP-dist. “Having achieved the highest level of recognition available at this time, we are on track to achieve full accreditation prior to the
graduation of our first class of students in 2018.” “The college exists for one purpose: to provide service that benefits people in need,” Martin said. “Our mission centers around producing health care professionals who are not only excellent physicians but have a servant’s heart that will cause them to positively impact patients around the world, specifically those in underrepresented and underserved areas. Our graduates’ knowledge and skill, along with their passion and commitment, will positively affect the lives and health of countless individuals in the decades to come.” In addition to its new provisional status, LUCOM is also ahead of schedule for construction on the much anticipated, 140,000-square-foot Center for Medical and Health Sciences, which broke ground at the southeast end of campus in November 2012. Construction is set for completion this coming spring. Referencing the unparalleled curriculum, Martin said the program focuses on active learning processes that are designed to produce primary and community-based physicians who practice holistic, patient-centric medical care while placing an emphasis on wellness prevention of disease. “Our obligation may be to teach,” he said, “but our avocation is to serve.”
SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS EARNS INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD Virginia’s Region 2000 Technology Council presented the Liberty University School of Aeronautics its Innovator of the Year award on May
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23, during TechEDGE, the Lynchburg area’s premier business and education conference. Jonathan Whitt, executive director of the Region 2000 Technology Council, recognized Liberty for its Unmanned Aerial Systems program (one of four in the country), the addition of several hightech simulators, and its collaboration with other entities, including the Center for Advanced Engineering Research. Liberty launched its specialization in
UAS last fall. The technology is used to remotely pilot unmanned aerial vehicles, popularly referred to as drones in their military application. John Marselus, associate dean of Flight Operations, joined a team of industry professionals to present the uses for drones in law enforcement during the National Sheriffs’ Association Annual Conference in Charlotte, N.C., on June 22 following a presentation to the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association Convention in April.