STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Earlier today, Tarleton State University announced a lead gift of $12.5 million from alumnus and leading Austin attorney Dr. Joe Long to help launch its new College of Osteopathic Medicine.
His generous commitment represents one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the history of the university.
The prominent goal of the College of Osteopathic Medicine is to address the glaring disparities that exist in healthcare access and quality in rural and medically underserved communities. Texas ranks 47th in the nation in patient-physician ratio.
“This historic gift provides our planned medical college with instant momentum, delivering a critical boost that will energize our efforts and quickly establish the College of Osteopathic Medicine as a life-changing source of strength for our state and region,” said Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley. “With supporters like Dr. Long behind us, we will make a profound impact on healthcare for years to come.”
There are only 16 medical schools in the state, with a significant gap in North Central Texas that Tarleton State is set to fill.
The university is already making marked progress to address healthcare needs in the region.
An $80 million Health Professions Building is under construction, with move-in planned for summer 2025. New academic programs like physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician’s assistant studies, biomechatronics and integrative biosciences are slated to be introduced in the coming years thanks to the new space.
Today’s generous gift serves as an important step forward as the university aims to develop a college focused on training and graduating physicians for rural regions across Texas.
A steadfast backer of Tarleton State, Dr. Long earned a certificate from the university in 1949 when Tarleton functioned as a two-year institution. He went on to graduate from the University of Texas at Austin and remained in the city to engineer a highly successful legal practice. Long was also a banking pioneer responsible, in large part, for branch banking in Texas.
“I grew up in a single-parent home in a small rural Texas community,” said Long. “We did not have ready access to healthcare. Many today across the state’s rural sectors endure a similar struggle. Tarleton’s new medical college will address this vital need, producing primary care physicians trained and dedicated to serving the underprivileged. I feel blessed to advance this important mission while supporting a university that truly changed my life.”
He has also served as a benefactor for scholarships, study abroad and research opportunities for students. The Lozano Long Division of Global, Community and First-gen Initiatives at Tarleton State is named in honor of Joe and his late wife, Dr. Teresa Lozano Long. A formal feasibility study is underway and a search for the founding dean will soon commence for the College of Osteopathic Medicine, with the hope to begin classes in 2027.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.