DG Campus Hosts Spring Health Professions Open House

On Thursday, April 17, nearly 150 prospective students and their guests visited our Downers Grove Campus for the annual Spring Health Professions Open House. Each MWU college and program had an information table set up in the atrium of Littlejohn Hall to welcome the interested students and answer questions. The event also included panel discussions with current students and tours of campus.

Photo: Me welcoming the guests to the Health Professions Open House.

To kick off the program, DG Director of Admissions Mike Laken welcomed the guests and explained the logistics of the event. I then had the privilege to give my brief welcome to the audience. First of all, I applauded those who attended for taking the time to visit our campus. If you are interested in attending MWU, I would strongly encourage you to try to attend one of these programs. They are held in the fall and spring on each campus. One of the things I know students and their parents want to know when they are visiting a campus is Why MWU? What makes our school unique or different?

I tried to share my insights on what makes MWU special. For 108 years of the history of the school, the concept of family has been a central value of our faculty, our administration, and our culture. While MWU is now a large university with two campuses, six colleges, and multiple health professions, we still work to establish a feeling of family on our campuses. Everyone has an open door policy, and from the ground crew to the support staff to the executives, we all understand that we are here for our students. I shared a few anecdotes from our founding college, CCOM, where prior to 1955 (when osteopathic physicians finally achieved licensures rights in the state of Illinois) the leaders of our college and hospital system had to also finish an M.D. program after graduating from CCOM, so that the osteopathic hospital could operate under their license. I told the story of the faculty member who, when he died, all of his uncashed paychecks were found in his desk drawer, as his contribution back to the college. Mostly, what makes MWU special today is our faculty members, who understand that they are teaching and mentoring their future colleagues in their professions. There are countless stories of MWU faculty who encounter MWU alumni at local hospitals, pharmacies, and other health facilities. We know that one day our students may be treating us or a member of our family in an ER or filling our prescription at a pharmacy or helping us recover from an injury. That concept of family, again, is central for MWU's mission and values.

The program also featured an overview of our financial aid programs, and a presentation on student life on campus, given by our Dean of Students, Dr. Teresa Dombrowski. Prospective students then heard from faculty and students from their college or program of interest and were taken on tours of campus. The afternoon event was a great introduction to Midwestern University for the students and family members who attended. We look forward to hosting another open house this coming fall.