Study recommends NEOUCOM expansion

The recommendation
suggests NEOUCOM remain a free-standing institution.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — A study of public higher education in Northeast Ohio doesn’t call for the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine school to merge with any other institution, as some feared it might.

The final recommendation coming out of the North East Ohio Universities Collaboration and Study Commission calls for NEOUCOM to remain a free-standing medical school, albeit with expanded collaborative efforts with other institutions.

It does say that NEOUCOM should expand its collaborative efforts to further health-related education in the region.

The recommendation, one of 18 prepared by the study commission on various aspects of higher education in the region, will go to the state Legislature in early January.

The commission was created by the Legislature in December 2006 to explore ways that the individual strengths of the public universities in this section of the state could be combined to foster education and economic development.

In addition to NEOUCOM, it focused on Youngstown State University, Kent State University, the University of Akron and Cleveland State University.

There were some proposals offered to the commission suggesting that NEOUCOM be partnered with Cleveland State or Summa Health System in Akron.

Those were ideas opposed by Youngstown State University — as well as by NEOUCOM.

Both want to see NEOUCOM remain as a free-standing institution.

YSU’s board of trustees said it had no objection to expanding the BS/MD program at NEOUCOM (which involves YSU, Kent and Akron) to include Cleveland State, as long as that program isn’t adversely affected, and NEOUCOM expressed interest in that concept as well.

The final NEOUCOM recommendation calls for that link, provided that the state takes the necessary legislative action and provides funding to expand the program.

Dr. Dianne Bitonte Miladore, a YSU trustee and one of YSU’s representatives on the NEOUCOM Board of Trustees, said she was informed by NEOUCOM that there is neither space nor funding for that expansion without state participation.

“I’m personally very much in favor of this remaining a free-standing institution,” said state Sen. John Boccieri of New Middletown, D-33rd, adding that he would also favor a closer curriculum link between NEOUCOM and other schools in Northeast Ohio.

Boccieri said he doesn’t see any drawback to bringing Cleveland State into the BS/MD program.

It remains to be seen how the study commission’s recommendations will fit into the overall plan for higher education in the state now being developed by the chancellor of higher education and Gov. Ted Strickland, Boccieri said.

Bitonte-Miladore said Chancellor Eric Fingerhut met recently with the NEOUCOM trustees but gave no indication of what the final plan might be. He did assure the board that the BS/MD commitment, which provides YSU, Kent and Akron each with 35 student slots each year, won’t change, she said.

gwin@vindy.com