Faculty express med school concerns at A-Senate

A number of faculty members voiced concerns at the Academic Senate meeting Tuesday about the Board of Trustees’ recent approval of a medical school.

James Jones said he thought the way the item was added to the agenda was inappropriate. The medical school was not on the Board’s formal agenda, but it was discussed during “Other/New Business” at the end of the meeting Thursday.

“Since you play a role in representing us, why do you think it was appropriate to put that decision on the agenda at the last minute so that no one could speak to that motion who wasn’t already in the board room?” said the foreign languages and literatures professor.

Executive Vice President and Provost Julia Wallace said she thought the way the agenda was handled was legitimate.

“I believe conversations between the Board members and the (university) president that occurred privately at the time were considered to be the equivalent of ‘other business,’” she said.

University President Michael Rao was not at the A-Senate meeting Tuesday.

One aspect of the rationale for the medical school was to address the shortage of primary care physicians and to keep doctors in northern Michigan.

Biology professor Phil Hertzler said he does not understand how a medical program at CMU would help solve those problems.

“How are they assured to go into primary care once they get out of school, and how do they stay in Michigan?” he said.

Wallace said the intent is to have admission criteria that are geared toward these objectives and hope to attract students interested in family medicine and rural health.

“It is our hope that CMU will draw Michigan students, and we do know that retention rates for individuals who go to medical school in Michigan and have their residencies in Michigan are more apt to stay in Michigan,” Wallace said. “You are absolutely right. There is no way that we can convince students to stay in family medicine when they know they can make twice as much money in anesthesiology.”

Some faculty felt it was ill-advised to approve a medical school in the midst of the faculty contract negotiations.

“The long-term trend indicates that enrollment is going up and the number of faculty is going down,” said Mark Freed, associate professor of English. “In light of these clear and dramatic trends and the recent approval of a medical school, I think it draws an important question which I am going to direct to you. What assurances and what support are you willing to existing faculty right now?”

Wallace responded by saying the school of medicine will be treated just as any other college.

“The only thing I can really speak to is that the school of medicine being proposed at the present time and the use of that school of medicine, as with any other college on campus, would be with its own faculty, its own budget and its own governing body,” Wallace said.

Freed said Wallace’s response did not constitute a statement of support.

General Education

New University Program requirements also were discussed.

Both psychology professor Tim Hartshorne and philosophy and religion professor Robert Stecker withdrew their previous amendments to the general education proposal. Hartshorne proposed a new amendment, which the Senate voted to postpone until the next meeting.

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