The Council recently visited Rocky Mountain University of
Health Professions to assess its application for funding from Provo’s Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the department of Housing and Urban
Development (non-social).
RMU’s application for CDBG funds outlines their proposal to
treat potentially 250 physical therapy patients per month as a part of
rehabilitative care offered to the underprivileged and need based community in
Provo in exchange for funding.
“The goal is to get these individuals back to good health
and eventually the workforce,” said Richard Nielsen, President of Rocky
Mountain University. “This will also
benefit students of RMU who will have a chance to get hands-on experience
through internships which will enable them to learn as they treat these
individuals.”
Rocky Mountain University is the most recent regionally
accredited higher education institution in Utah, and has provided graduate
level instruction to healthcare professionals and post baccalaureate students
in Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, Nursing, and other health professions
for more than a decade.
President Nielsen described a forward looking vision for
RMU, explaining its recent accomplishment of becoming a regionally accredited
institution, and explaining how the university plans on maintaining that
accreditation.
“We’re regionally accredited, which is the highest degree of
accreditation you can attain. It took us thirteen years, and once accredited,
we have to keep up to maintain that status, so it’s not an easy process; it is
a very demanding one,” Nielsen said. “ We've been collaborating with Lake Eerie
College of Osteopathic Medicine to create a place on campus which will focus
exclusively on Provo. The support from Provo and the community is one of the
reasons we've chosen to locate our campus here.”
Council member Gary Garrett expressed the Council's approval for both the
opportunities that RMU provides Provo students, and the economic impact which the university contributes
to the community.
“We are pleased to know of the growth and success of Rocky
Mountain University in Provo,” Garret said. “Not only does RMU offer
much-needed health and wellness services to many in our community, but they
also provide important teaching and training opportunities for students. We value
and recognize their work.”
RMU President Nielsen indicated that the university already
has a significant impact economically on Provo by drawing visitors which
account for up to 4,000 hotel nights, and those visitors also spend money on
Provo restaurants and businesses during their stay.
Nielsen said that RMU has a base of students from Utah’s
Universities, with BYU and UVU making up the majority of in-state students. As
the school continues to grow, it is expected to continue developing into a
larger economic presence in Provo.
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