Michigan's Macomb Community College established a landmark on the higher education landscape when it built its University Center, one of the first community college-driven initiatives in the nation to provide access to bachelor's degree completion and master's degree programs. Now, Macomb is posed to become one of the first community colleges to house a medical school as well.
The Macomb University Center in Clinton Township, located about 25 miles northeast of Detroit, has been chosen by Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) as one of two expansion sites that will help the state avert a projected shortage of physicians by the year 2020.
"Educating a physician requires four years of undergraduate studies, four years of medical school, and two to eight years of postdoctoral education," explained William Strampel, MSUCOM dean, when the announcement was made this summer that Macomb's proposal to become an expansion site had been accepted. "It's imperative that we address this issue now if we're going to forestall a health care crisis in our state."
Pending accreditation, the MSUCOM expansion site at Macomb will provide two of the four years of medical school training to those students who have already earned their bachelor's degrees. While existing classroom and laboratory space will accommodate the first class of 50 students, an 8,000- to 10,000-square-foot addition will be built to house specialized laboratory space dedicated to MSUCOM. Already pledging their support to MSUCOM are members of the Macomb County and Oakland County Osteopathic Medical associations, whose members rallied for one of the expansion sites to be located at Macomb Community College.
"The success of our proposal to host this medical school expansion site is an example of what Macomb County is capable of achieving when focused on working collaboratively with a unified stance to serve the best interests of the community," said Dr. Albert Lorenzo, Macomb president. "The educational options that this creates are really only the beginning."
MSU joins eight other colleges and universities offering advanced degree programs at the Macomb University Center. The center was initially developed to provide local access to bachelor's degree completion programs, and the economic advantages that accompany those degrees, to Macomb County residents who had to commute to colleges and universities in other counties if they wanted to continue their education after earning an associate degree. Surveys undertaken by the college indicated that many working adults were, in fact, forgoing professional advancement, because they did not have convenient access to advanced degree programs. From that dilemma, the idea behind the Macomb University Center was born.
After an initial enrollment of 1,160 when its first phase opened in 1991, the Macomb University Center has grown from one building to three and to an average enrollment of 3,500 students each semester in more than 50 bachelor's degree completion and master's degree programs. In addition to MSU, current partners include Central Michigan University, Ferris State University, Lawrence Technological University, Oakland University, Rochester College, University of Detroit Mercy, Walsh College and Wayne State University. Also added as part of the center's phase II was the Center for Executive and Professional Development, which is used by the local business community for meetings, seminars and professional training.
While still under construction, the idea behind the Macomb University Center was pegged by the Chronicle of Higher Education in its Sept. 19, 1990 issue, as a "model for other communities." With the addition of MSUCOM, Lorenzo, who will be retiring next year, is proud to see the center continue to build upon its initial promise of providing access to advanced degrees and, by doing so, continuing to serve as a paradigm for educational collaboration.
"This is a defining moment for Macomb County and for the college," acknowledged Lorenzo, who was the lead architect behind the original Bachelor Degree Partnership Program that evolved into the Macomb University Center. "We're looking at a new future of possibilities in terms of positive educational and economic growth opportunities that can be nurtured in conjunction with the medical school."
Media Contact: Mary Smith
Phone: 586.445.7997
Email: smithm@macomb.edu