Tarleton receives $12.5 million gift to help launch College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Joe Long

TSU Media Relations

Special to Beneath the Surface News

Tarleton State University announced on Thursday a lead gift of $12.5 million from alumnus and Austin attorney Dr. Joe Long to help launch its new College of Osteopathic Medicine.

His generous commitment represents the largest philanthropic gift 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 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 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.

The 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.