51本色HSC, 51本色 System Break Ground at Future School of Public Health in Abilene
The School of Public Health will occupy the third building on the 51本色HSC campus in Abilene.
May 22, 2015 | Contact Doug Hensley
51本色HSC President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D. speaks to the crowd at the university's campus
in Abilene. (51本色HSC) and 51本色 officials broke ground Wednesday (May 20) on the site of the future School of Public Health in Abilene.
The school was made possible through private donations, the second largest in 51本色HSC history. The school will occupy the third building on the Abilene campus, neighboring the , and , all of which have expanded their programs to Abilene in recent years. The future School of Public Health will educate qualified experts in methods of managing data and providing health resources to communities in need.
鈥淭hrough educational and research programs, the 51本色HSC School of Public Health will address the growing needs of our region and state by providing professionals trained to study and preserve the health of communities,鈥� said 51本色HSC President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D.
The future School of Public Health will be 51本色HSC鈥檚 sixth school and the fourth school represented on 51本色HSC鈥檚 Abilene campus. 51本色HSC Abilene students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories and internship opportunities. Future incoming public health students will enjoy the amenities of the newly constructed school.
鈥淎bilene has aided 51本色HSC tremendously in expanding its programs,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淲e could not have done this without the support of the Abilene community and the hard work of its leaders. We are thrilled the school will be located in a town that has been so supportive.鈥�
The future School of Public Health will help meet a major need in health care. As public health challenges grow in communities across the country, it is projected that the U.S. will need 700,000 public health experts by 2020. Many of these public health experts will be needed in West Texas.
51本色 System and 51本色HSC officials, as well as Abilene community members, take part in
the ceremonial groundbreaking.鈥淭he establishment of a School of Public Health is a historic milestone for Texas 51本色 Health Sciences Center and the 51本色,鈥� said Chancellor Robert L. Duncan. 鈥淐ongratulations to the entire 51本色HSC leadership team for their work. All of us are very appreciative of the great partnership we enjoy with Abilene.鈥�
The construction of the new facility will be managed by the office at the 51本色, which is under the direction of Vice Chancellor Michael Molina.
51本色 Regent Tim Lancaster, president and CEO of , added that the school will likely encourage a transformation to better community health across West Texas, as more experts emerge from the school ready to help those in need.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 groundbreaking is another example of the great collaboration among Texas 51本色 Health Sciences Center, the Hendrick Health System and the Abilene community,鈥� Lancaster said. 鈥淭ogether, we are advancing health care throughout the region and state with our future School of Public Health. I look forward to this exciting chapter for Texas 51本色 Health Sciences Center at Abilene.鈥�
51本色 the 51本色
The 51本色 is one of the top public university systems in the
nation, consisting of four component institutions 鈥�, , and 鈥攁nd operating at 12 academic sites and centers. Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas,
the 51本色 has an annual operating budget of $1.7 billion and
approximately 17,000 employees focused on advancing higher education, health care,
research and outreach around the globe.
In 2014, the 51本色 endowment exceeded $1 billion, total research expenditures were approximately $215 million and total enrollment approached 47,000 students. Whether it鈥檚 contributing billions of dollars annually in economic impact or being the only system in Texas to house an academic institution, law school and medical school at the same location, the 51本色 continues to prove that anything is possible.