Benedictine going forward alone with possible medical school
By NewsPress Now
Benedictine College is still considering a potential new medical school on its Atchison, Kansas, campus, but it will do so alone.
Officials said Tuesday that a partnership between Benedictine and Catholic Healthcare International to explore the possibility of a medical school has been amicably dissolved and the college is now moving forward on its own.
“We are in the early stages of a proposed new school of medicine that will enshrine Catholic moral teaching on the infinite dignity of the human person as created by God,” Benedictine President Stephen D. Minnis said.
The proposed Benedictine College School of Osteopathic Medicine would provide an education that follows the Catholic Church’s bioethical teachings, officials said. Doctors would be trained to serve in Catholic hospitals and in rural areas where health resources are needed.
The Benedictine College Board of Directors voted in June to continue efforts to explore the proposed medical school, which has an initial $4 million investment. Fundraising goals have been set and a project timeline and committee of the Board of Directors to provide leadership to the project have been established.
“Benedictine College has never been better known than we are right now, and our future has never been brighter,” Minnis said. “So, we thought the time was right to announce our plans nationally.”
College officials say they have been stressing STEM education for 15 years and note Benedictine’s School of Nursing has been named the Best in Kansas for two years in a row.
Benedictine College had a previous agreement with Catholic Healthcare International to collaborate on the potential medical school.
“We are forever grateful to CHI and its president, Jere Palazzolo, for being the inspiration for this project and we wish them success in their efforts,” Minnis said.
