Looking into opening a potential medical school campus in Santa Maria, representatives from a Missouri-based health sciences university will hold a meet and greet Tuesday with city officials.

The meeting — which will be held at Santa Maria Public Library’s Shepard Hall at 11 a.m. — will serve as a meet and greet for members of the City Council and staff at A.T. Still University, city spokesman Mark van de Kamp said.

A.T. Still University — which is based in Kirksville, Missouri, and has a second campus in Mesa, Arizona — is a private, graduate school focusing on the health sciences. Founded in 1892, the university has programs in health management, dentistry and osteopathic medicine.

At its campuses in Missouri and Arizona, the university grants a doctorate of osteopathic medicine. While the majority of doctors in the United States possess a doctorate of medicine, physicians with a doctorate of osteopathic medicine can become licensed to practice the full scope of medicine and surgery in all 50 states.

Van de Kamp said university officials have indicated they’re interested in a California campus, and Santa Maria is being considered.

“It’s an exploratory meeting to get a feel for the community,” he explained.

“They have two campuses and are looking into possibly opening another one in Santa Maria,” said Jason Stilwell, city manager. “[A.T. Still University officials] just wanted to get to know Santa Maria and its history, understand what the city is about.”

Stilwell said the plans are in a preliminary stage and that it was too early to tell whether the discussions would proceed to an actual project.