CCOM to Increase Class Size to 200

With the growing and aging population, and continued forecasts of physician shortages, MWU is once again stepping up to the plate to meet society's health care needs. Our Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine has been approved by the accrediting agency to increase our incoming class size for Fall 2009 to 200 students (up from the current 160 students).

To accommodate these additional students, CCOM has already been increasing the number of rotation slots in area hospitals and is expanding its residency programs. On campus, we are building a new five-story basic science building to accommodate additional classrooms and laboratories.

Last year, CCOM received nearly 5,000 applications and we are no target this year to exceed the 5K mark with a 10% increase in applications. Our applicant pool remains strong, and we know there are more than enough qualified and committed students to fill a class of 200 seats.

Just a few weeks ago, MWU welcomed 250 students to our Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. This class size increase was needed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population in the Southwest. Today's lead article in the business section of the Arizona Republic was on MWU's expansion in both medicine and dentistry.

In both the Chicago and Phoenix areas, MWU's college continue to be leaders in meeting our communities needs for physicians and health care professionals. This growth improves our national reputation and, more importantly for our students, enhances their opportunities for clinical education in more facilities. We are looking forward to this expansion and adding these additional students to our campus family.