State funding for the University of Colorado’s medical school is so low that college officials are concerned the institution could lose its accreditation, CU president Bruce Benson told lawmakers Wednesday.

While the School of Medicine, housed at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, is still fully accredited, its level of state funding has been listed as an area of concern by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, a national body that evaluates medical schools. Without a degree from an accredited school, graduates can’t get medical licenses.

“It’s a world-class operation out at Anschutz, and it’s terribly, terribly underfunded,” Benson said.

The committee told CU officials in October that it would re-evaluate the medical school in 18 months to determine whether areas of concern and noncompliance — which range from enrollment diversity to state funding — had been addressed, Benson told the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee.

Benson and other college presidents testified Wednesday before the JBC, most describing surging enrollment in the midst of flagging state funding.

Read the full story here.

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels Photo by MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE

MARK REIS