Commission recommends NEOUCOM expand degree program

Commission recommends NEOUCOM expand degree program

ROOTSTOWN — The president of Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy said a study of higher education collaboration in the region underscores the importance of medical education and research to the economic well-being of Northeast Ohio.

More people are now aware of how important NEOUCOM is to this region, “and I am pleased with that,” said Dr. Lois Margaret Nora, NEOUCOM president, responding to the final version of the North East Ohio Universities Collaboration and Innovation Study Commission report released today.

The commission, created by the state Legislature, looked at ways that five regional schools — NEOUCOM, Youngstown State University, the University of Akron, Kent State University and Cleveland State University — might better work together to improve educational offerings while controlling costs.

The commission came up with a list of 18 recommendations on how that might be accomplished, and its report will be submitted to the legislature and Eric Fingerhut, Ohio’s chancellor of higher education.

There were some suggestions during the commission’s deliberations that NEOUCOM be merged or linked in some other fashion with other entities, but the final report proposes that NEOUCOM remain an independent entity.

It also recommends that NEOUCOM expand its BS/MD degree program (which already has Youngstown, Kent and Akron as partners) to include Cleveland State, albeit with sufficient funding being provided by the state or private resources to make it happen.

For the complete story, see Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.