This award provides funding to UNC-Pembroke to support creation of North Carolina’s first public College of Optometric Medicine. UNC-P received $91 million from the State of North Carolina for construction of a Clinical Sciences Building that will house the college. UNC-P anticipates that the college will enroll 32 students enrolled annually, with 30 graduates per year starting in 2031. UNC-P expects that the college will attract students from rural areas of the state and that graduates will be more likely to stay in rural communities upon completion of training. Golden LEAF funds will be used for diagnostic, imaging, and clinical training equipment.
