One less donor a troubling sign for medical school
Central Michigan University does have some impressive characteristics.
A renowned teaching program, a successful football team, some distinguished professors — all of these aspects are part of this school. CMU continually looks to expand this impressive repertoire and, this time, it is a medical school it is after.
But it is losing support before the first brick has been laid.
A $100,000 donation was pulled away from the medical school, signaling a shaky start to an immense project. CMU needs to start securing support and keep donors committed to the medical school if it expects results.
Donor Todd Anson, a CMU alumnus, will use his $100,000 donation instead on renovations for Rose Arena. This brings the total medical school commitment to $202,000 from $302,000 — a large loss, even for a project that is still relatively young.
Interim Dean Cam Enarson said the loss is insignificant. Donator Sam Kottamasu said he isn’t concerned about early drops since the donations have five years to accumulate.
That may be true. But any donations being pulled away from the medical school should be a concern. $100,000 may seem like nothing when it takes millions to open up a medical school, but every dollar to such a momentous undertaking counts.
Psychologically, it sends a distressing message to other potential donors that the medical school is not a sound investment. With such few donors to begin with, the foundation the school needs to launch just shrunk considerably.
Officials admitted a fundraising campaign is not in place, leaving donations up to whoever feels like giving it money. If the medical school is to become a reality, a fundraising campaign should be at the top of the list.
If enough donors are not found to open the medical school, it will be the students who end up paying for the difference. Tuition, which already is too costly, could become an exorbitant.
Students may not see a point in attending a university with a newly opened medical school.
If CMU is to take the proposed medical school seriously, retaining donors has to be the first step. $100,000, $10,000, $10 — any amount of money donated needs a commitment behind it; it’s up to the university to see those commitments are upheld.
Beyond keeping pledges, CMU needs to actively find new donors. Hard facts need to be used with real numbers need to be used for recruitment. Exactly how many doctors are needed for Michigan? Who is the medical school partners with? Does it have the capacity to become both viable and reputable? Representatives of the school need to push these issues with facts to recruit solid donors.
Although the loss is a large amount, the medical school is still in its infancy. There is still plenty of time to find new donors that can help push the medical school as a driving force behind Central’s repertoire. But officials need to start pushing and putting forth more effort.
