CMU reaches half way point for financial goal for medical school, picks Saginaw sites

The Central Michigan University College of Medicine, while having suffered some setbacks in the past year, is still making headway, with building sites picked out in Saginaw and the recent announcement that the school is halfway to its fundraising goal.

CMU President George Ross announced the fundraising campaign for the College of Medicine is just about halfway to its $25 million goal. New commitments have brought the total to $11.5 million, which will back student scholarships, start-up operations, and facilities costs.

"These investments demonstrate the significant need and support in Michigan to address a growing physician shortage and access to quality health care--a need CMU is excited to work with communities in mid- and northern Michigan to address," says Ross.

The university also recently announced it has chosen two Saginaw properties for the college of medicine. They are close by Covenant Health Care and St. Mary's of Michigan, both of which are partnering with the university on the medical school.

"The selected locations will enable us to provide a significantly enhanced educational experience for our students by fully utilizing the expertise, training programs and state-of-the-art facilities of our partners," says Ross.

The two properties will address clinical education, practice, and administrative needs, and are on Hoyt Avenue near St. Mary's, and on Irving Avenue near Covenant. They fit criteria the school was looking for, like parking availability and expansion capacity.

The sites were chosen with the two hospitals, Saginaw Future, and the City of Saginaw's help as well.

Right now, the first class entering the CMU College of Medicine is planned for the summer of 2013. The main medical school facility is a 60,000-square-foot addition to the Health Professions Building on CMU's Mount Pleasant campus, and is currently under construction.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: George Ross, Central Michigan University
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