POMONA, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 09/04/12 -- Thirty-five years ago today, Southern California welcomed a bold endeavor, but one that got off to a pretty quiet start. This new enterprise opened with little fanfare on the day after Labor Day, 1977, starting life with two employees, a broken phone, and some rented furniture, and working out of a storefront office in a mostly abandoned outdoor shopping mall in Pomona, Calif.
Over time, more space was acquired, more employees hired, and more awareness raised about the new venture, and by the time fall 1978 rolled around, 36 adventurous and committed souls had agreed to become the inaugural class of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific.
"In those early days of COMP, there were no guarantees that what we knew to be a worthy and needed addition to health-sciences education would even survive, much less thrive," said President Philip Pumerantz, PhD. "As I did then, I today commend the members of the Class of 1982 for being possessed of the attitude, aptitude, and ambition necessary not only to become physicians, but to be the first worldwide ambassadors for what is now known as Western University of Health Sciences."
Dr. Pumerantz, who has led WesternU throughout its 35-year history, also commends the staff and faculty who were the early builders of our curriculum and operations, and who embraced the philosophy of humanism and compassionate care not only in their instruction and dealings with students, but with one another and with the surrounding community.
"COMP, and now WesternU, has always been more than just a school. It is a valued community resource, partner, and friend, and serves as a beacon to all of what is possible when dreams, goals, commitment, and caring intersect," Pumerantz said.
COMP became Western University of Health Sciences in 1996 as its program offerings and physical imprint continued to grow. COMP has been joined by eight additional colleges: Allied Health Professions, Pharmacy, Graduate Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Dental Medicine, Optometry, Podiatric Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
From its inception, WesternU set out to be not just another medical school, but to be distinctive, where scientific and technical knowledge is combined with humanistic, patient-centered care.
"Much has been accomplished since 1977, and much remains to be done," Pumerantz said. "As we celebrate our past, let's also embrace the opportunities the present and future provide, and embark on bold endeavors each and every day."
Contact:
Rodney Tanaka
Office: (909) 469-5402
E-mail: rtanaka@westernu.edu