Liberty University may receive a $12 million grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission to establish a new school of osteopathic medicine and a school of health sciences.<\/p>\n
A tobacco commission committee meeting today in Roanoke approved the matching grant as part of a block of other economic development projects. Because the grant exceeds the budgeted funding capability of the special projects program, the commission\u2019s executive committee will have to pool unspent money from other funds, which then will be subject to approval by the entire tobacco commission.<\/p>\n
If ultimately approved, the agreement would require Liberty University to match the grant on a dollar-for-dollar basis for construction and equipment to outfit the new schools.<\/p>\n
Liberty University officials estimate the new medical schools would generate $19 million annually in new spending in the tobacco region, as well as 219 new jobs and $1.2 million in state and local tax revenue. The private Lynchburg-based university intends to build the new school on land it owns nearby in Campbell County.<\/p>\n