Education facility design and implementation

¶ … a.T. Still University

History of the organization

A.T. Still University is the nation's founding school of osteopathic medicine, with campus locations in Mesa, Arizona and Kirksville, Missouri.

Purpose of the organization

A.T. Still University strives to educate its students in an ethical and forward-thinking manner, and to act as a leader in promoting comprehensive medicine in a variety of fields. Its Research Institute, connected to the University, seeks to train future and present clinicians and expand knowledge of and the health-promotional aspects of osteopathic medicine.

Services of the organization

94% of all students receive university scholarships and federal financial aid as part of their education. The University's Research Institute also conducts work to further general, life-preserving knowledge in the field of medicine as well as trains clinicians in practices that can be of use at many other research institutions.

Challenges faced by the organization

Given the current state of the economy, more and more students are likely to require financial aid. More and more students are returning to school to further their education to improve their chances of getting a job in one of the few sectors of the economy that continues to expand. Yet investment resources are also more limited than ever, given that a.T. Still has, like most institutions of higher learning, experienced losses in its endowment. The school believes that the desire to be educated, not financial considerations, should determine a student's decision to embark upon a medical career, and strives to extend financial aid to students while continuing to expand its educational offerings and resources. It also requires funding to support the research of its faculty and clinicians at the Institute.

Strategic plans of the organization

Currently, the organization offers an expansive array of degrees, spanning from athletic training to audiology, to doctoral degrees in medicine. The school's Mesa campus in Arizona must compete for funding its Missouri campus. However, the presence of online options to take some coursework and to complete some of a.T. Still's offered degrees could reduce some of the resource strain upon the University.

Goals of the organization

The organization's goals are to maintain and expand its high-quality instruction to students in a wide variety of medical fields. Affordability and expanded online offerings are part of its overall plan, as are expanding its research efforts and clinical training initiatives.

Research, given the foundational role of a.T. Still University in the development of osteopathic medicine, is a central goal of the University in the context of its short- and long-term future. The University's Research Institute focuses on creating a new generation of clinical-investigator physicians to further biomedical research and to improve the education of all physicians in the basic skills of conducting clinical research.

Purpose of the fundraising efforts