Fayetteville welcomes new Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine with a ribbon cutting ceremony
By Staff Report, posted Jun 12, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com
Photo provided by: Methodist University
Fewer than two years after its historic groundbreaking − and in front of a crowd of more than 200 guests, staff and faculty − leadership cut the ribbon on Thursday, June 11 to celebrate and officially open the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine facility in Fayetteville, N.C.
Forever changing the future of healthcare in Fayetteville/Cumberland County, surrounding counties and all of Southeastern North Carolina, the new School of Medicine (SOM) was announced in 2023 through a partnership between Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health and the ribbon cutting helped signify once again how the dream has truly become the reality.
Photo provided by: Methodist University
“The turnout today is absolutely amazing to me. It shows that there’s a lot of excitement in this community,” said Methodist University President Stanley T. Wearden, Ph.D. during the ceremony. “Together, Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health have modeled what can happen when two major organizations in the community get together, partner, apply resources, put their shoulders to the wheel and look what we can do.
“Together, this will change healthcare outcomes in this region,” Wearden continued. “It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. And it will change the economy in this region for the better, too. It’s just an extraordinary thing.”
With nearly 20 residency and fellowship programs, more than 160 faculty already credentialed, the new $60-plus-million building now open and the first cohort of students ready to begin classes in July, the SOM leaders shared their views on how much progress has been made and also how exciting it is to look to the future and the difference these doctors will have on the community.
“This is far more than a new educational institution,” said Cape Fear Valley Health CEO Daniel Weatherly during the ceremony. “It’s a profound investment in the future of healthcare across Southeastern North Carolina. Through this visionary partnership, we are strengthening our workforce, breaking down barriers and creating generational opportunities that will help lift our region for decades to come.”
Photo provided by: Methodist University
The new SOM has a unique mission focused on preparing graduates to be socially accountable, community-engaged, evidence-based, compassionate, equity-focused physician leaders who will contribute to mitigating health disparities and improving health outcomes in Southeastern North Carolina or wherever they may practice. This mission-driven MD education offers world-class clinical experiences in underserved areas where students (who become physicians) can make a difference.
As 67% of physicians who complete both medical school and residency in an area stay in that area for practice (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges), this will have positive impact on communities in this region − right away and for generations to come.
"This building represents vision, sacrifice, partnership, generosity, and years of extraordinary work by countless people who believe this community deserves its own medical school,” said SOM Dean Hershey Bell, MD during the ceremony. “Years from now, people won't remember the square footage of the building or the specifics of the technology, but they'll remember the physician who sat beside them after a devastating diagnosis — the physician who listened, the physician who stayed late, the physician who cared. And that's the purpose of this building."
The impact from the school is not only in the care of patients but on the community as a whole. A Walden Economic Study expects $72 million increase in annual regional spending, $9.6 million in annual tax payments to all governments, and 837 expected local jobs generated for 2030 and beyond because of the SOM.
“Today is a great day for our community,” said Kirk deViere, chair of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners during the ceremony. “Today, Cumberland County becomes a place where doctors are made. We’re celebrating more than a building; we’re celebrating the people of Cumberland County and what happens when a community decides to invest in its own future.”
The facility, located on the Cape Fear Valley Health Medical Center campus, is cutting-edge and one of a kind. The 127,500-square-foot, 200-room building features learning centers, state-of-the-art classrooms, community and multipurpose rooms, student lounges, common area, a virtual anatomy laboratory, a fully equipped standardized clinical skills lab, conference rooms, an entrance plaza, a courtyard outside of the building and much more. It’s a magnificent space for the SOM’s current and future students to learn in a collaborative and innovative environment.
"The students who enter this building will not leave the same people,” Bell said. “They'll be shaped by long nights of studying, by mentors who challenge and inspire them and, most importantly, by patients, who will trust them in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives."
Speakers and those cutting the ribbon on Thursday were: Wearden, MU Provost & Executive Vice President Suzanne Blum Malley, Ph.D., Bell, Weatherly, Nagowski, Chair of the SOM Board Franklin S. Clark III, MD, and deViere.
Following brief statements and the ribbon cutting, guests had the opportunity to tour the facility and meet some of the faculty and staff in their areas of expertise (be that Anatomy Lab, Clinical Skills area, or one of the many modern, high-tech classrooms).
As Methodist University was founded by the local community and the new SOM is already becoming an integral part of the community, it’s no surprise that the SOM has decided to host an Open House on July 9 (from 1 to 3 p.m.) for anyone in the community to visit and tour the facility.
“Today we celebrate the opening of a building, but more importantly, the launch of North Carolina’s and the nation's newest medical school," said retired CEO of Cape Fear Valley Health Michael Nagowski during the ceremony. “As we explored the concept of developing a medical school right here in Fayetteville, we knew we needed a partner. And what better choice, a natural choice, than Methodist University, another private, non-for-profit health provider who is expert in the education of healthcare and has proven that through the years; strong reputation for academic excellence, healthcare education and community service. Together, we shared the vision of creating a medical school focused on preparing physicians to serve in our types of communities.
“We love New York, we love Chicago and Atlanta, but that's not who we're building physicians for,” Nagowski continued. “We're building physicians for our communities."
To learn more about the SOM, including how to apply as a student or faculty/staff, visit methodist.edu/medicine.
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