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I came across this while reading Google News.
Just curious what current/potential COMP students think about this potential merger?
http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203~21481~1267490,00.html
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College 'merger' raises questions
Western, Chapman talk about unifying the two universities
By MONICA RODRIGUEZ
STAFF WRITER
POMONA ? Questions involving the sharing of power by academic leaders and support for philosophical views were among those posed to the presidents of Western University of Health Sciences and Chapman University during a joint town hall meeting held Monday.
More than 70 Western University students, faculty and staff gathered in the amphitheater of the Health Sciences Center for an hour session. Western University and Chapman, which is located in the city of Orange, announced in February they would begin exploring the feasibility of merging.
Western University President Philip Pumerantz said joining the institutions "is not a done deal. We are still talking about it."
A decision will be made by the end of the year, officials for both schools have said.
Although there are benefits to a merger "I'm realistic enough to know there could be a downside" and that should come out in the investigation period, Pumerantz said.
Among the questions directed at Chapman President James Doti was why Chapman's leadership is interested in a merger.
Doti said Chapman has a strong natural sciences program now but it's one that can be further strengthened with the connection to a medical program. From his perspective as an economist, Doti said, health care is a growing field and one in which Chapman should become involved.
Western could benefit by having access to financial resources and the chance to attract faculty drawn by Chapman's name recognition in addition to access to a pool of high academic achieving undergraduate students, Doti said.
One student, Kyle Homertgen, a second-year medical student in the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, said a concern on campus is whether Chapman will be committed to osteopathic medicine. At the core of osteopathic medicine is the philosophy that attention must be given to the entire patient, not just to a disease.
"Will you understand who we are and how will you make (Western) better?" Homertgen asked.
Doti said the two schools have similar philosophies.
"Chapman is about the development of the whole person," Doti said. Chapman is interested in merging with Western because it is an osteopathic institution, he said.
"We do not want a medical school," Doti said. "We want the best osteopathic medical school."
How Western will be governed and by whom is also a concern.
Casey Chaney, associate professor of physical therapy education at Western, asked whether Western University will have an equal voice in decision making.
Doti said the initial thought has been that if a merger was to take place the boards of trustees of both universities would be merged and arrangements would be developed and put in writing to assure Western would have a strong voice.
Georganne Vlad, director of clinical education for the university's physical therapy department, asked what would happen with each of the school's physical therapy programs.
Doti said "there's enough of a geographic spread so the two can continue" however, a decision would have to be made as far as which curriculum and admissions standards would be followed and that hasn't been determined.
Both presidents said the issue of what the name of a unified university would be is a concern to people at both institutions. Pumerantz said he recently received a message saying he "was crazy to even entertain" the idea of a merger. "I responded I'd be crazy not to study it."
If anything the exploration process provides Western University an opportunity to look at itself critically in a far more detailed fashion than any academic accreditation procedure would, Pumerantz said.
In the end, "we'll do what's best for our university, or students, alumni and supporters," Pumerantz said.
Just curious what current/potential COMP students think about this potential merger?
http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203~21481~1267490,00.html
*************************************
College 'merger' raises questions
Western, Chapman talk about unifying the two universities
By MONICA RODRIGUEZ
STAFF WRITER
POMONA ? Questions involving the sharing of power by academic leaders and support for philosophical views were among those posed to the presidents of Western University of Health Sciences and Chapman University during a joint town hall meeting held Monday.
More than 70 Western University students, faculty and staff gathered in the amphitheater of the Health Sciences Center for an hour session. Western University and Chapman, which is located in the city of Orange, announced in February they would begin exploring the feasibility of merging.
Western University President Philip Pumerantz said joining the institutions "is not a done deal. We are still talking about it."
A decision will be made by the end of the year, officials for both schools have said.
Although there are benefits to a merger "I'm realistic enough to know there could be a downside" and that should come out in the investigation period, Pumerantz said.
Among the questions directed at Chapman President James Doti was why Chapman's leadership is interested in a merger.
Doti said Chapman has a strong natural sciences program now but it's one that can be further strengthened with the connection to a medical program. From his perspective as an economist, Doti said, health care is a growing field and one in which Chapman should become involved.
Western could benefit by having access to financial resources and the chance to attract faculty drawn by Chapman's name recognition in addition to access to a pool of high academic achieving undergraduate students, Doti said.
One student, Kyle Homertgen, a second-year medical student in the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, said a concern on campus is whether Chapman will be committed to osteopathic medicine. At the core of osteopathic medicine is the philosophy that attention must be given to the entire patient, not just to a disease.
"Will you understand who we are and how will you make (Western) better?" Homertgen asked.
Doti said the two schools have similar philosophies.
"Chapman is about the development of the whole person," Doti said. Chapman is interested in merging with Western because it is an osteopathic institution, he said.
"We do not want a medical school," Doti said. "We want the best osteopathic medical school."
How Western will be governed and by whom is also a concern.
Casey Chaney, associate professor of physical therapy education at Western, asked whether Western University will have an equal voice in decision making.
Doti said the initial thought has been that if a merger was to take place the boards of trustees of both universities would be merged and arrangements would be developed and put in writing to assure Western would have a strong voice.
Georganne Vlad, director of clinical education for the university's physical therapy department, asked what would happen with each of the school's physical therapy programs.
Doti said "there's enough of a geographic spread so the two can continue" however, a decision would have to be made as far as which curriculum and admissions standards would be followed and that hasn't been determined.
Both presidents said the issue of what the name of a unified university would be is a concern to people at both institutions. Pumerantz said he recently received a message saying he "was crazy to even entertain" the idea of a merger. "I responded I'd be crazy not to study it."
If anything the exploration process provides Western University an opportunity to look at itself critically in a far more detailed fashion than any academic accreditation procedure would, Pumerantz said.
In the end, "we'll do what's best for our university, or students, alumni and supporters," Pumerantz said.
