Applications open Wednesday for the new University of Northern Colorado College of Osteopathic Medicine, which was approved earlier this month to begin recruiting and admitting students.
A day before the applications went live, UNC President Andy Feinstein and other university leaders hosted Gov. Jared Polis for a brief visit.
The governor, who signed off on state legislation last year authorizing funds to build the medical college, had a bird’s-eye look at the ongoing construction of the $127.5 million building Tuesday morning from a University Center balcony on the other side of 11th Avenue.
“We needed a new medical school, and I was particularly thrilled the one came forward from Northern Colorado and from UNC,” Polis said. “We really need a third to continue to supply the doctors to meet our needs. And so it was the right proposal at the right time, and we moved mountains to make it happen.”
University of Northern Colorado President Andy Feinstein points to the new College of Osteopathic Medicine building while speaking with Gov. Polis during a visit by the governor to meet with university leadership and see the site of the future medical school at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)Polis made two stops in both Greeley and Fort Collins on Tuesday to talk about housing, universal preschool and small business, in addition to celebrating the state’s third medical college.
At UNC, the governor joined a group deeply interested in the college’s development and with a sense of pride and satisfaction in the latest milestones on the multi-year development. With Feinstein were medical college founding dean Dr. Beth Longenecker, members of the UNC Board of Trustees and the medical college advisory board and representatives from the city of Greeley and Banner Health.
Feinstein was among the earliest advocates for the medical college dating back four or five years. The president was encouraged by Banner Health and Greeley businessman Arlo Richardson to go forward with the medical school.
Richardson and Banner Health CEO Alan Qualls were both in attendance Tuesday morning in a University Center ballroom and the adjoining balcony. Qualls is the CEO of Banner Health’s Northern Colorado region.
Feinstein welcomed the guests and gave an overview of the medical college that only last week received approval to bring in students at the pre-accreditation status phase. Before UNC reached that milestone, the college was known as a proposed college of osteopathic medicine. Full accreditation status will be reached when the first class of students graduates, projected to be spring 2030.
“We are a medical school,” Feinstein said, then touting the support of Polis, Richardson, Banner Health and other supporters who’ve helped UNC privately raise more than $30 million.
Students are expected to arrive in July. The first class will be 75 students, with future classes growing up to 150 admitted each year. More information on applying to the UNC college is available on the university website, unco.edu, which has a link to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service. Gov. Polis speaks to university leadership at UNC during a governor's visit to see the site of the future medical school at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
“I’m excited,” Longenecker said, adding the college is now at its last “really big hurdle” toward opening next summer. “Then it’s going to be like a real school with a real cadence. A white coat ceremony, orientation. Really exciting and all the things I’ve been missing.”
Longenecker arrived to begin her work in summer 2022.
In the months between now and next summer, construction will continue on the building, UNC will host another site visit by osteopathic college commission representatives to check on the building’s status and progress. The commission will also monitor hiring to see if it’s on track for opening.
UNC said as of earlier this month the medical college had 17 employees — eight faculty and nine staff, including deans. Longenecker said the total employee count will be 47 in the next six months.
Longenecker said students have begun to reach out to UNC to inquire about the college. While UNC previously wasn’t able to recruit students to attend, Longenecker said the university was allowed to share information on the medical school. She said UNC has a list of students who are interested in attending.
Gov. Polis speaks to university leadership at UNC during a governor's visit to see the site of the future medical school at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)One of the drivers behind Feinstein and others advocating for the college was to address a projected shortage of physicians in Colorado. The shortage is estimated to impact doctors working in primary care, including in rural locations.
“The goal is to get them to stay here, and we are trying to build additional residency programs across the state to keep our students in state, and that’s a drive for us,” Longenecker said.
Funding for the college is separate from the rest of the university. The Richardson family gave $5 million. UNC received $25 million from The Weld Trust in 2023 toward start up of the medical college. The gift was both the largest in the history of UNC and for The Weld Trust. The organization is a Greeley-based nonprofit focusing on health and education.
CEO Jeff Carlson said after “an enormous amount of consideration,” the organization saw value in the gift to address the physician shortage.
“That was the value proposition for The Weld Trust and it made sense to us,” Carlson added. “The underlying benefit to Weld County and how much we would be benefiting the citizens here was an enormous consideration.”
The UNC medical school will be the third in the state and its second osteopathic college. The other medical schools are the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora and Rocky Vista College of Medicine in Parker.
CU Anschutz is an allopathic program awarding doctor of medicine degrees. Rocky Vista is a private osteopathic college, which awards doctor of osteopathic medicine degrees. From left to right, Brenda Campos-Spitze, a member of the UNC Board of Trustees and a member of the advisory board for the medical college, University of Northern Colorado President Andy Feinstein and Gov. Polis, all look to the new College of Osteopathic Medicine building during a visit by the governor to meet with university leadership and see the site of the future medical school at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
UNC’s college of osteopathic medicine is a public school within a state university, and this makes the new school unique for Greeley physician Dr. Brenda Campos-Spitze, a member of the UNC Board of Trustees and the medical college advisory board.
Campos-Spitze, a native of California, has a doctor of medicine degree from the University of California Irvine and practices family medicine at Sunrise Community Health’s Monfort Family Clinic in Evans. She is also a member of the Greeley-Evans School District 6 Board of Education.
“I’m thrilled about today,” Campos-Spitze said. “I’m thrilled about Gov. Jared Polis approaching me and saying, ‘How cool if one day 25% of that class was from Greeley and Evans.’
“That filled my heart.”
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