AZCOM Bids Farewell to its Founding Dean

This week, MWU's Glendale Campus celebrated the retirement of the foundation dean of the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, James W. Cole, D.O. Approximately 100 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and family members joined Dr. Cole and his wife Beth for a special party honoring his 11 years as the dean. I'm honored to count Jim as a good friend, and he will be sincerely missed by everyone on campus.

Me and Dr. Cole

In her tribute to Dr. Cole, Dr. G recalled the very first weeks of MWU's existence in Glendale, when our campus consisted of one building amidst 140 acres of mostly dust and tumbleweeds. The night before the first day of classes, Dr. G, Dr. Dobbelaere (EVP & COO), Dr. Kosinski (dean of students), and Dr. Cole got together to prepare Sahuaro Hall for the new students and faculty. Dr. Cole--who had been an accomplished pathologist and director of medical education in hospitals in Rhode Island and Grand Rapids, MI--was assigned the role of preparing personalized nameplates at the doorway of each new faculty office. As true clinician at heart, he used a scalpel to cut the paper so it fit perfectly into the slot.

Dr. Cole was responsible for building a curriculum, recruiting faculty and students, and establishing clinical sites for the new medical school. He did all of these things with distinction, and in 11 short years, helped to establish AZCOM with its innovative early clinical exposure program and its students phenomenal success rate in board exams. The team he assembled has worked diligently to continue to improve the environment for osteopathic education in the Phoenix. He has earned awards from the state osteopathic association and has been elected to leadership positions within AACOM and the AOA.

While his professional accomplishments are indeed impressive, Dr. Cole will most be remembered for his human contributions to the school. He truly exemplifies the ideal of someone who is well-respected and well-liked by all. A colleague described him as the "gentleman dean," who always had a kind word for every person on campus and treated everyone with respect. His big smile, sense of humor, and personal touch made him the favorite at holiday parties and campus events. The students appreciated his understanding ear and his advocacy on their behalf. For many years, Dr. Cole was one of the leaders of the University's medical mission to Guatemala. In this setting, he was able to touch the lives of not only the patients but the many students, alumni, community members, and faculty who participated.

"The Deans": Dr. Richard Simonsen (Dean of the College of Dental Medicine), Dr. Cole, Dr. Anne Lin (Dean of the College of Pharmacy-Glendale), and Dr. Lori Kemper (incoming Dean of the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine)

After finishing up his final weeks at the end of June, Dr. Cole is heading to Winter Harbor, Maine, to work on continued restoration of his beautiful oceanfront home. His retirement will be spent splitting time between Maine and Phoenix. MWU and AZCOM were indeed privileged to have Dr. Jim Cole as the founding dean of AZCOM. I feel blessed to count he and Beth as good friends. We wish them health and happiness, and hope they know just how much we will all miss him.