The story
Midwestern University was founded in 1900 as the American College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery by J. Martin Littlejohn and his brothers. The institution was incorporated in Chicago as a nonprofit school for the training of osteopathic physicians. It was originally located on Washington Boulevard and later moved to Hyde Park. In 1913, the school became known as the Chicago College of Osteopathy and was later renamed the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.
In 1986, CCOM moved from Hyde Park to the university's campus in the western Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois. The College of Pharmacy began in 1991, followed by the College of Health Sciences in 1992. In 1993, the board of trustees approved a common educational mission for the institution, and the Midwestern University name was adopted. The College of Dental Medicine–Illinois opened in 2009, the Chicago College of Optometry in 2014, and the College of Graduate Studies in 2018.
The Glendale, Arizona campus was founded in 1995 after the board of trustees approved the purchase of land and construction of the new campus. The Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine also began in 1995. The College of Health Sciences followed in 1996 and the College of Pharmacy–Glendale in 1998. The College of Dental Medicine–Arizona was established in 2006, the Arizona College of Optometry in 2008, the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012, the College of Graduate Studies in 2018, and the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine in 2020.
The university subsequently opened the Midwestern University Multispecialty Clinic in Downers Grove in 2013.
The College of Veterinary Medicine was established at the Glendale campus in 2012. Its development included a veterinary teaching hospital, a large-animal teaching facility, and classroom facilities. The college became the first veterinary medical school in Arizona.
Recent history
Kathleen H. Goeppinger joined Midwestern University's board of trustees in 1985 and became president and chief executive officer in 1995. She retired in 2025 after 30 years as president. During her presidency, enrollment grew from fewer than 900 students to nearly 7,000 across the university's two campuses.
Joshua C. Baker was appointed interim president and CEO effective May 20, 2025, and was appointed president and CEO permanently effective September 11, 2025. At the time of Baker's permanent appointment, the university stated that it had more than $555 million in planned construction projects in various stages of development across the two campuses, including approximately $286 million in Illinois and $270 million in Arizona.
Midwestern also pursued plans for a second veterinary medical school, the proposed Chicago College of Veterinary Medicine, at the Downers Grove campus. In June 2026, the university halted development of the college and paused its accreditation process.
From Wikipedia’s article on Midwestern University, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5