KCU raises 75% of its goal for Dental College

Less than five months after announcing plans for a dental school in Joplin, the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences has raised 75% percent of its $40 million fundraising goal.

The $40 million will make up half of the project’s $80 million cost, with the KCU pledging the other $40 million.

KCU has announced the school will be named after businessman Harry M. Cornell who donated $10 million to the effort.

Supporters say the College of Dental Medicine will address a critical need for oral health care in under-served areas.

Nearly all counties within a 125-mile radius of Joplin have a shortage of dental health providers.