Conversations about student debt are everywhere, but a key truth is often left unsaid: The largest share of that debt belongs to graduate and professional students — our physicians, pharmacists, educators, research scientists — the very people we depend on to keep us healthy, to teach our children and to push discovery forward. At Rosalind Franklin University, fewer than 1% of our students default on their loans. Our graduates repay, even though they carry heavy burdens in the early years of their careers. Why? Because their education is worth it. It equips them to serve.

Access to graduate education is being reshaped. Adjustments to borrowing limits, income-driven repayment plans and loan-forgiveness programs are altering how students plan and pay for advanced degrees. These shifts could make graduate study less attainable for some students,

It’s about ensuring every student with the grit, aptitude and passion to serve has a real shot. It’s about finding those who punch above their weight, regardless of ZIP code or credit score, and giving them the resources to thrive.

potentially creating limited pathways to professional careers. That outcome would be devastating for health care, for communities that need practitioners most — and for our mission. It would deepen inequities in care by limiting who can enter and shape the field. It would deny access to talented, mission-driven students who reflect and serve varied communities. It would weaken the healthcare workforce, narrow perspectives in care and research, and undermine our role as a community partner working to improve the health and well-being of our underserved neighbors.

Every single RFU student has met rigorous enrollment thresholds. Every student has earned their acceptance to their program of study. Many have overcome adversity to reach our doors. Many are the first in their families to attend college, the first to earn a professional degree. They’ve balanced jobs, caregiving and service, all while excelling academically. They belong here. And we are determined to make sure they can stay here, progress and graduate.

Identifying potential hurdles for our students — looking at where and how they grew up, which shapes their ability to succeed in higher education — shores up progression. This approach isn’t about lowering standards. Quite the opposite: It’s about ensuring every student with the grit, aptitude and passion to serve has a real shot. It’s about finding those who punch above their weight, regardless of ZIP code or credit score, and giving them the resources to thrive.

Our students are here because they feel a calling. Our responsibility is to make sure nothing, least of all financial barriers, keeps them from answering it.

What pulls people into science and health care isn’t the promise of answers, but the thrill of chasing questions. Whether it’s a scientist in the lab or a clinician at the bedside, curiosity drives discovery. To truly transform care, curiosity must be nurtured, translated into knowledge and skills, then activated through innovation. Innovation is curiosity in action.

Our greatest responsibility as educators is to cultivate not only knowledge, but also the courage and culture that allow curiosity to flourish into impact. At Rosalind Franklin University, we’ve built an interprofessional, collaborative environment where students can ask bold questions, test ideas and learn from one another across disciplines. When students experience this culture, they’re preparing to bring those habits of teamwork, curiosity and innovation into the systems where they will practice.

To truly transform care, curiosity must be nurtured, translated into knowledge and skills, then activated through innovation. Innovation is curiosity in action.

Health care faces challenges that demand this kind of preparation. Patient safety remains a pressing concern, with delayed diagnoses and system failures among the most persistent threats. Burnout continues to affect providers across professions. At the same time, new technologies such as artificial intelligence are transforming what’s possible in care delivery. Our job is to prepare graduates not just to adapt to these forces, but to shape these tools to optimize patient care.

Studies show that learning in realistic environments significantly boosts long-term knowledge retention and clinical-skills acquisition. We continue to invest in immersive learning spaces and technologies that allow students to practice clinical reasoning, communication and teamwork in realistic settings that mirror the complexities of health care. This approach provides opportunities to explore not only how health care is practiced today, but how it could be practiced tomorrow. Using simulation and other immersive learning experiences, learners not only refine their skills, but also are given the latitude to experiment and ask bold questions as they prepare themselves to become leaders.

Our strength as a community-based health professions university is also critical. We don’t own a hospital. Instead, we partner with more than 800 clinics, health systems and community organizations. This diversity of training environments exposes students to different ways of delivering care, broadens their perspectives and equips them to adapt across settings. It also means our students see firsthand the gaps in care that persist in underserved communities, helping them become creative, compassionate problem-solvers.

But clinical training opportunities are under pressure, especially in fields such as pediatrics, obstetrics and maternal–fetal health, where shortages already exist. When students have opportunities to learn in these critical areas, they are more likely to pursue them as careers, addressing shortages and improving care for the communities we serve.

When clinical and community partners work together, we can educate a health and biomedical workforce that has the tools, confidence and courage to challenge what isn’t working, to see what others overlook and to adopt technologies that others resist.

Healthcare education is not confined to classrooms or hospitals. It belongs where people live, work and struggle. Every blood-pressure check, every counseling session, every prescription filled reflects our commitment to health and well-being, and to preparing a workforce that understands what it means to serve.

Community-based healthcare delivery plays a critical role in providing care to populations who are often hesitant to seek care. Working in collaboration with community partners, such programs meet people close to home — at libraries, athletic fields, churches and schools, even on the street — to offer the care and support they need.

The reality is clear: As government funding decreases, the need in our community increases, and the cases we see will only get more complex. Safety-net services are stretched thin, and many families are left with few options.

When I think about the critical importance of safety-net care, I don’t just see numbers or charts; I see people. I see the patient who hasn’t had her blood pressure checked in months because she lost her insurance. I see the diabetic father, waitlisted for endocrinology care, skipping his appointment because he can’t afford to take time off from work. These are our neighbors, and their health tells the story of our community.

The reality is clear: As government funding decreases, the need in our community increases, and the cases we see will only get more complex. Safety-net services are stretched thin, and many families are left with few options. Community-based health programs are bridging critical gaps in care.

Mobile clinics bring essential services directly to neighborhoods, removing barriers that isolate patients from care and trust, such as culture, language, transportation and cost. For many patients, these clinics are the only source of preventive screenings and early interventions that can avert serious illness. Across the country, other innovative community-based models — such as school-based health centers, neighborhood wellness hubs and home-visit programs — are reimagining how and where care is delivered. They not only offer a vital safety net for underserved populations, but they also address the social drivers of health. Offered as part of health professions education, these models are powerful training grounds for future clinicians, immersing them in real-world settings where dignity, equity and community partnership lead the way.

Providing care is only part of our responsibility. We also must amplify the voices of our patients — voices that too often go unheard in policy debates and funding decisions. The stories we hear in our clinics carry urgency. They remind us that health care is not an abstract system; it is human. It is the voice of a mother choosing between food and medicine, or a patient who finally feels cared for after years of neglect.

The challenges will not lessen. Cuts to healthcare programs will continue, and demand will rise. Our mission calls us beyond the classroom, into the heart of our communities. That role has never been more critical or more urgent.

Rosalind Franklin University students are motivated, hungry and resilient — qualities that not only fuel their academic journey but also shape the kind of healthcare leaders they will become. What sets them apart is their drive to contribute. They are here to learn, yes, but they are also here to serve, to lift up one another and to use their voices for change.

One of the things I see most clearly on our campus is how deeply our students support each other. Within their cohorts and across the university, they celebrate one another’s achievements, push through challenges together and build the kind of teamwork that will serve them well in their professional lives.

Success comes from meeting the student where they are — academically, socially and emotionally.

Their passions are varied, but what stands out is how often they connect these passions to their future careers. A student who loves basketball dreams of going into orthopedics. A group that volunteers on our Day of Service returns again and again throughout the year, not because it’s required, but because they want to make a difference together.

We know our students face real challenges. Some are the first in their families to pursue graduate education. Others juggle financial burdens, food insecurity or the lingering academic disruptions of the pandemic. I often think of an incredibly bright, hardworking student in our College of Health Professions, who lost access to federal loans and, facing other complex barriers, nearly had to withdraw from school. We were determined to find a path for him. We made many calls in search of scholarship funds and other resources to help him stay the course. Today, he’s on track to serve the very community he came from. His story is one of many that remind me why we fight so hard for student success.

That success comes from meeting the student where they are — academically, socially and emotionally. We’ve expanded tutoring so it’s available to every student, not just those in difficulty, creating richer peer-to-peer learning. We’ve invested in affordable housing that fosters community and provides 24/7 access to study spaces. And we’ve built out wellness and mental-health supports that help students balance their studies with self-care, family and personal passions.

Leadership development is woven into all this. Students hone their voices by leading campus organizations, advocating for causes they believe in and serving our communities. Whether it’s coordinating a campus club or working with local schools, these opportunities allow them to practice leadership early, discover their strengths and carry those lessons forward into their professional lives.

I’m optimistic about the future of health care, because I see it every day in our students: their energy, their compassion and their unshakable belief in what’s possible. They are not only future practitioners and scientists; they are future role models, advocates and changemakers.

Your vital philanthropic partnership is empowering Rosalind Franklin University to steer health care and research in the right direction — one that elevates public trust, advances community-evidenced research, addresses critical healthcare workforce needs, removes economic barriers for learners and strives to achieve better outcomes for all.

Thank you for your support.