UT Tyler President Kirk Calhoun, left, and Kevin P. Eltife, Chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, are pictured. 

The University of Texas Board of Regents on Thursday approved an allocation of $100 million in Permanent University Fund (PUF) bond proceeds over the next 10 years. This will help fund capital expenses associated with the start-up of the Tyler School of Medicine at the University of Texas at Tyler, according to a press release from UT.

“The opportunity for the regents to invest again in this once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the quality of life and health for the people of East Texas is gratifying,” said Kevin P. Eltife, Chairman of the UT System Board of Regents. “We are equally as focused on the future of the medical school as we are on the present, and we enthusiastically await the arrival of the first class of medical students in Tyler next summer.”

Capital projects funded over the next decade will ensure the new medical school has the right environment in place to draw and retain exceptional medical school faculty and students, as well as enhance biomedical research and core residency programs.

“The Board of Regents has once again reinforced its commitment to the health of Texas at every possible opportunity,” UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said. “This latest allocation reflects the emphasis on East Texas as a vital region for high-quality medical education and health care delivery, and today’s decision by the regents represents yet another demonstration of their commitment.”

UT Tyler President Kirk Calhoun said he is very thankful for this allocation.

“The UT Tyler community and I express profound gratitude to the regents for consistently and generously ensuring that our new medical school is poised for the most successful launch imaginable,” Calhoun said.

Earlier this year in July, UT Tyler announced a $10 million gift from The Robert M. Rogers Foundation to the School of Medicine to support mental and behavioral health education.

In recognition of this gift, the university will name its department of psychiatry The Robert M. Rogers Department of Psychiatry.

“This gift is an opportunity to impact the improvement of mental health across the Northeast Texas region, and The Rogers Foundation Department of Psychiatry is going to be something very special,” Calhoun said in July.

A portion of the gift will be used to establish the Robert M. Rogers Scholarship and mental health curriculum in the School of Medicine. In addition, with the cross-disciplinary need for mental health education, the gift also supports faculty positions in the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy.

In April, the medical school received an anonymous gift of $4 million to support scholarships and faculty research.

In November 2021, the school received a donation substantial enough to support all 40 students of the upcoming class. R.W. Fair Foundation donated $4 million to the school to cover students’ scholarships.

In February 2020, the East Texas Medical Center Foundation gave $80 million to help in the establishment of a medical school in Tyler. In the same month, the UT System Board of Regents approved a proposal for the school.

In May of last year, the Texas Legislature approved authorizing the Health Science Center at UT Tyler to put resources toward getting accreditation for a doctor of medicine program.

This June, the school of medicine received notification from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) that it was granted preliminary accreditation.

The university called it a monumental milestone that will allow the school to begin recruiting its first class of medical students for 2023.

Founding dean Dr. Brigham Willis will lead the recruitment efforts of new students and establishment of the curriculum and facilities for the school.

Following years of strategic planning that included funding, partnerships, and legislative and regents’ authorization, the UT Tyler School of Medicine met the established standards for structure, function and performance set by the LCME.

Full accreditation for the school of medicine is expected after the first class of students matriculates and the LCME determines that the school has demonstrated the effectiveness of the education program and continued compliance.

“From regents to elected officials, community leaders to philanthropists, and the UT Tyler leadership, everyone has shared in the equity in this effort, and I could not be happier for UT Tyler and East Texas,” Eltife previously said.

Anyone interested in making a gift to UT Tyler, or the School of Medicine specifically, may contact UT Tyler University Advancement at 903-566-7110 or visit uttyler.edu/give.