Other medical colleges not provoking protests


Unlike Central Michigan University, faculty at Western Michigan University and Oakland University have not publicly opposed their new medical schools.

According to public relations departments at both universities, faculty have not voiced opposition because the medical schools are not being financed by funds from existing academic programs.

CMU Director of Public Relations Steve Smith said no funds from existing programs are being used for the CMU College of Medicine either.

Bob Miller, associate vice president for community outreach at WMU, said there has been no official opposition to their school of medicine by university faculty and staff. He said the response has been positive because people believe the school of medicine will enhance university prestige and the quality of student education.

“The vast majority of people have been very supportive,” he said.

As Central Michigan Life reported Wednesday, it is still undecided if CMED faculty will be included in the Faculty Association.

The department of journalism, as reported Oct. 28, voted unanimously to oppose CMED if revenue from existing academic programs is being used to finance it. On Tuesday the Academic Senate took a vote to halt further action to CMED.

Miller said the faculty has not been opposed to WMU’s school of medicine because it will be a private school affiliated with the public university. He said it will be funded privately, so it will not take funding and resources away from the public university.

Miller said their school of medicine has “applicant school” status at stage one with Liason Committee on Medical Education and has not had its site visit yet. WMU will have the formal application submitted by April 2012 and he anticipates a LCME visit after that. He said WMU hopes to receive preliminary accreditation in 2012 so they can have student recruitment in 2013 and begin classes in 2014.

Ted Montgomery, director of Media Relations at Oakland University, said in an email OU had its LCME visit in November 2010 and now has preliminary accreditation status, stage three. He said the next step in the accreditation process for the medical school is to move to provisional accreditation status, and another LCME visit will occur in 2012.

CMED’s progress is between WMU and OU, at stage two of accreditation with candidate school status.

Montgomery said OU’s school of medicine is not being financed by funds from existing academic programs, and there were no protests opposing it during the LCME site visit.

“We do not anticipate any protests moving forward,” he said.

Scott Barns, executive director of the OU American Association of University Professors chapter, said there have not been any faculty union protests against the college of medicine because AAUP faculty are separate from other university faculty.

He said the school of medicine is a private school and not part of the university.

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