Proposed IUP medical school picks up $2M donation

Indiana University of Pennsylvania has picked up another $2 million toward its proposed college of osteopathic medicine, campus officials announced Tuesday.

It comes from Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka, IUP graduates and longtime campus supporters.

In remarks prepared for the gift’s announcement, Tim Cejka told his alma mater that the couple sees their donation as furthering efforts to eliminate a rural medical care desert in parts of Pennsylvania. The college would serve areas where the ratio of patients to available primary care physicians can top 1,300 to 1.

“It’s unbelievable that in 2024, there are people out there who simply can’t access medical care, that there are expectant mothers driving two to four hours to get care and to give birth,” he said. “That’s the why of our passion for this project — this should not be happening.”

Tim Cejka is a retired president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company and vice president of ExxonMobil Corp. He is a member of the university’s Council of Trustees. The Cejkas are 1973 graduates of IUP.

The proposed college would be the first osteopathic school of medicine on a public university campus in Pennsylvania.

Three others in the state, all at private institutions, include Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) with multiple campuses and a presence at Seton Hill University; Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; and Duquesne University, which enrolls the inaugural class of its new college this month.

The Cejkas’ gift brings total commitments to the college to nearly $26 million, including a $20 million commitment from the Foundation for Indiana University of Pennsylvania announced last month. It’s about a quarter of what officials say would be needed initially to sustain the college.

“We are very grateful for this gift, and we are honored by the Cejkas’ ongoing confidence in IUP to serve students now and in the future, and to meet the needs of the commonwealth through the proposed college of osteopathic medicine,” said IUP President Michael Driscoll.