College of Medicine coursework approved by A-Senate; academic prioritization forum scheduled for Monday


A proposed bulletin and courses for the Doctor of Medicine program were approved by the Academic Senate Tuesday.

The move is another step toward accreditation, but several senators expressed uneasiness about a lack of specificity in the admission standards and course descriptions.

“I think this is grossly lacking in clarity and detail,” said Laura Frey, associate professor of counseling and special education.

Dr. Ernest Yoder, College of Medicine dean, defended the program outline, and said at this stage of accreditation, the college has only prepared a framework for the program. Further details will be filled in when the college’s faculty have been chosen.

“It’s vague because the faculty must have a role in the process,” Yoder said. “They will have input. This is just a framework base.”

Senators said the program’s prerequisites for admission are lacking in hard science and mathematics classes.

Yoder said the new program is being modeled after procedures in existing medical schools, such as Boston University.

He said BU admitted 20 percent of its students with less science credits, and these students were “extraordinarily successful” with lower failure rates than peers with more extensive science backgrounds.

“It’s not just science,” Yoder said. “It’s equal parts art and science.”

Harvey Dorrah, assistant professor of educational leadership, questioned Yoder as to whether medical science is evolving into more of an art form.

CMU’s program is looking for a diverse group of students with varied educational backgrounds, Yoder said, but this does not mean the admission requirements are “easier.”

“It’s not lower standards, it’s different standards,” Yoder said. “We’re looking at what the real predictors are of how physicians teach medicine.”

Academic prioritization

The academic prioritization of every department on campus will be the topic of an open forum next week. It will include a short presentation and a question-answer period, Provost Gary Shapiro announced at Tuesday’s meeting.

The forum begins at 3:30 p.m. Monday in the Charles V. Park Library auditorium.

Academic prioritization is part of a university-wide effort to evaluate every department for efficiency and importance. It will determine where funding is needed and where it could be reduced, Shapiro said.

A live-streamed broadcast of the forum will be available online. Instructions for viewing it will be available later this week.

The College of Medicine was previously considered a top priority and therefore exempt from the prioritization process. Shapiro said after “significant communication” the college will now be included in the process.

Share: