The University of Dubuque is purchasing a downtown building to house the John and Alice Butler College of Osteopathic Medicine. The three-story brick facility will be Iowa's first medical school in 125 years.
Currently, the university offers a master of science in physician studies and a bachelor of science in nursing. The facility will focus on osteopathic medicine, a practice that focuses on the whole person, looking beyond symptoms.
The university was able to purchase the site with a $60 million gift from John and Alice Bulter. The gift will also provide scholarships for health science students, annual lab research, upgraded equipment, and program updates. The new facility will also house the physician assistant program.
The new school campus is located at 500 Main Street, in the center of downtown Dubuque, where the university's main campus was located over a hundred years ago before moving to western Dubuque.
The facility will have 200 staff and faculty members and an inaugural class of 90 students, working up to its full capacity of 750.
Preconstruction will begin this week, and renovations will start in September. The repairs are expected to be completed in December of 2026. The school is getting required accreditation through the American Osteopathic Association and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2028.
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