JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) Less than five months after announcing plans for a dental school in Joplin, the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences has raised 75 percent of its $40 million fundraising goal.
The $40 million will make up half of the project’s $80 million cost, with the KCU pledging the other $40 million.
The Joplin Globe reports supporters say the College of Dental Medicine will address a critical need for oral health care in underserved areas. Nearly all counties within a 125-mile radius of Joplin have a shortage of dental health providers.
Current plans call for the first class of 80 students to start in 2022. A groundbreaking is scheduled for next year and a nationwide search for a dean is currently underway.
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