Numerous business and civic leaders have been invited to a June 30 luncheon, at which time the details will be explained. The invitations were sent out last week by MSSU President Bruce Speck, Freeman CEO Gary Duncan and interim St. John's CEO George Caralis:
Please, accept this letter as an invitation to attend a very important luncheon.
We have been presented with the extraordinary opportunity to establish a medical school in Joplin. During the past several months Missouri Southern State University, St. John's Regional Medical Center, and Freeman Health System have been working together to meet the requirements in the application process for a new medical school.
One of those requirements is to demonstrate community support. Because of your position as a community leader we hope you will support this important project. However, we would not expect you to provide support without learning more about the proposed medical school. We will be hosting a luncheon on the Missouri Southern State University campus, in the library, room #413, June 30, from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM so that you may meet some of the key players in this project and learn more about this great opportunity.
The new medical school is intended to be a partnership between the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences - College of Osteopathic Medicine and Missouri Southern State University, with support from Freeman Health System and St. John's Regional medical Center. Representatives from both universities as well as the medical community will be present at the luncheon to speak about the project and answer any questions.
If established, this would become the only medical school in the southern half of Missouri. Physicians educated and trained in southern Missouri are much more likely to establish their medical practices in southern Missouri. This project isn't just about MSSU, St. John's, or Freeman. It's about an opportunity to impact health care in our entire region for generations to come.
Thank you, for your time. Please, join us June 30th so that we may share more about this exciting opportunity with you. (RSVP to 417-347-6601 by June 18, 2009.)
Comments, anyone?
How in the world is MSSU going to fund a medical school? Speck has already demonstrated that he has zero ability to raise money. And, he has already alienated numerous people in the Joplin area who might have been contributors.
ReplyDeleteI thought Speck said the university was close to bankruptcy and he has been slashing budgets left and right. How in the world can the university even think about a medical school. Has this been discussed on campus? What happened to "shared governance", Bruce?
ReplyDeleteIf indeed the medical school is to serve the entire southern half of Missouri, wouldn't it make more sense to locate it in Springfied instead of the extreme southwestern section of the state? And Springfield has such a strong existing medical infrastructure already.
ReplyDeleteBe prepared Southern... Springfield (and MSU or SMS) will never let Joplin have a medical school or program... They think they ARE southwest Missouri, you know?
ReplyDeleteMU will probably oppose it too.
Everyone might take this more seriously if they could pay the bills for what they have NOW. They must have no idea how expensive it would be to establish a medical school.
ReplyDeleteActually, this could be a benefit for Springfield/MSU and Joplin/MSSU. Yes, as the proposal stands, MSU and MU will likely use their political clout to block any action.
ReplyDeletePerhaps MSU could be persuaded to support the idea if MSSU becomes part of the MSU system. The merger would give the MSU system additional prestige and political clout and would rid us of Speck, etc. and all the clowns in Hearnes Hall. Why should taxpayers pay the bloated salaries for administrators at so many universities? MSSU will never be able to attract a competent administrator from outside. If Speck is ousted, a clone (clown?) will take his place.
The Joplin school of medicine could be called the Missouri State University of Health Sciences. Sounds good doesn't it? Wouldn't you love to have a facility like that in Joplin? The state osteopathic school would be great for Joplin and a perfect fit for the MSU system. Oklahoma State and many other state systems operate DO programs in states where the other state system has an MD program. Many of those schools are in cities other than where the flagship campus is located.
MSSU's undergrad mission could shift to health sciences and programs such as nursing, dental hygiene, etc. This is a much more practical mission befitting a regional university (which the undergrad college would remain) than the international mission. What is a better service to the people of southwest Missouri?
Now, MU would still fight this idea. It is going to take some serious political muscle to get it done. Perhaps giving Northwest Missouri or another state school to MU's system would make them happy.
As a former faculty member at MSSU, all I can say is I hope I never get treated by a medical doctor who graduated from MSSU. Part of the reason I left was that I was sick of the lax academic standards there.
ReplyDeleteMSSU admits 96% of all undergraduate applicants - hardly more selective than a community college. I challenge anyone to find a similar institution with a medical school.
ReplyDeleteSilliest I've heard in a long time...and I work in higher education. (And I am an 89 alum of MSSC.)