As we celebrate 45 years of The Chicago School as a change-maker in higher education and integrated health, we have reached a turning point as a university, with so much accomplished last year and so much exciting growth on the horizon.
During the past year, we committed ourselves to the avenues of impact that have best defined our first 45 years, and we have laid the foundation for expansion upon these commitments for the years ahead.
We launched new programs and new modalities of existing programs to meet the evolving needs of students and communities, we achieved key accreditation milestones for our proposed Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine (IllinoisCOM), and we secured a new campus facility in Chicago that will encourage collaboration across our four colleges and with our colleagues at The Community Solution Education System.
This year, we will double down on our investments in these key areas, which will further cement our university as a change-maker in higher education and integrated health.
In the year ahead, we will focus our strategic growth around three key areas:
- Grow enrollment in our core programs
- Continue development of our proposed IllinoisCOM
- Develop our future-focused infrastructure
Our first goal is to continue to grow The Chicago School’s core programs through innovations in both enrollment and retention. By doing so, we can ensure that the needs of our communities are met. Estimates indicate that the U.S. will face a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, but by educating and graduating more culturally competent, expert practitioners each year, our students will bridge these gaps and provide much-needed care to communities around the country and the globe.
Our communities also face a dramatic shortage of mental health professionals, meaning patients will often turn to primary care physicians to address mental health issues. To ensure that physicians have the skills and tools they need to address patients as complete people, it’s important that we emphasize the interconnectivity between mental and physical health.
We plan on promoting this mindset by developing our proposed Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine (IllinoisCOM). Our newest college will instill this approach to care through interdisciplinary curricula and training opportunities.
In keeping with The Chicago School’s long-held commitment to diversification of the health care field, the proposed IllinoisCOM will emphasize the recruitment, retention, and success of students from traditionally underserved communities. This will ensure that more communities can receive care from those who most innately understand their lived experiences.
Having achieved Candidate Status with the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), our next goal is to guarantee our steps align with all necessary accreditation milestones so that we can remain on track toward launching our proposed college in the years ahead and so that we can help to close gaps in community-based health care as effectively as possible.
Our final goal for the next year is to establish our future-focused infrastructure. By promoting efficiency in university operations, planning, and structure, we can offer our students services more effectively than ever.
For instance, we are excited this year to continue with design and construction of our new educational hub in Chicago. This space will offer new opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the community to learn and work together in pursuit of integrated health for all.
By continuing our investments in these key strategic areas, we will move closer to our community’s shared vision of expanding access to integrated, culturally competent care, making this fiscal year another successful year of thoughtful collaboration.