10:10 a.m. EDT, July 25, 2012

The College of William and Mary and Eastern Virginia Medical School announced on Wednesday they are looking into joining forces to become the William and Mary School of Medicine.

The institutions noted any such action would require the approval of the William and Mary board of visitors, the General Assembly and the governor.

In a letter to the William and Mary community, President Taylor Reveley said he will ask a group led by the provost to begin the exploration effort.

"In my view, the EVMS possibility is worth careful consideration," Reveley said in the letter. "EVMS is an institution we know and respect. Many W&M graduates have gone to medical school there. And there has been productive research collaboration between the two schools."

The two schools said they must "carefully investigate the implications of such a combination."

If EVMS becomes part of William and Mary, the public university will join three others in Virginia with medical schools. The others are Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

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W&M, Eastern Virginia Medical School may join forces