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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Trustees focus on med school at weekend meeting

Trustees got a change of scenery this weekend as the University Board of Trustees convened on Tufts' Boston campus in order to focus on issues concerning the School of Medicine. The first of three meetings of the board this year, the meeting continued to pursue President Larry Bacow's goal that trustees become more familiar with each of Tufts' schools.

Each recent meeting has focused on a specific sphere of the University, such as May's examination of the undergraduate schools. This weekend trustees met with faculty, deans, and administrators to gain a more thorough understanding of the challenges facing the School of Medicine.

Though the meeting allowed trustees to better grasp issues particular to the school, the ability to raise funds to put toward addressing such issues remains the salient matter, Trustee Brian Golden said. As everyone is aware, "all of these things take money," he said.

In a study group led by medical school Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Amy Kuhlik and Dean of Admissions Dr. Robert Sarno, the trustees discussed graduate students' concern with the rising costs of housing, transportation, and of their medical educations. Although a medical student scholarship program has been in place for several years through the executive committee of the Tufts University Medical School Alumni Association, many students still graduate with crushing debt loads. The trustees are sensitive to this problem, Golden said, and are not just interested in "bricks and mortar." Over the weekend Board members divided into four "study groups" _ Teaching and Learning, Clinical Teaching Programs, Research, and Student Services _ to consider the different facets of a superior education in medicine.

In its attempt to address issues related to the non-academic side of a medical student's experience, the Student Services "study group" assessed the conditions of one of the dormitories, group member Golden said. Student housing is a particularly difficult problem, he said, because of the graduate school's location in the center of Boston.

The Student Services "study group" visited the medical school's dining areas, which are "relatively new, but limited," Golden said. The group also met with students to discuss the curriculum.

The other "study groups" focused on different aspects of a Tufts medical education. Members of the Teaching and Learning group discussed the current trends in medical education, as well as Tufts' efforts to remain competitive with other medical schools in some areas, and to become a national leader in others.

In order to explore the University's relationship with Tufts-New England Medical Center (T-NEMC), the Clinical Teaching Programs group met at the T-NEMC.

The Research group recognized the new Jaharis Family Center for Biomedical and Nutrition Research as a major boon and noted the challenges the School of Medicine faces in the current competitive research environment. Friday's dedication of the Jaharis Center _ an academic and research coup _ was made possible by the generosity of trustee Michael Jaharis and his family.

In conjunction with the meeting's medical school focus, the trustees awarded honorary degrees to two members of Tufts' health sciences departments. John T. Harrington, M.D. was named Dean Emeritus of the Tufts University School of Medicine, and Louis Lasagna, M.D. became a Dean Emeritus of the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.

Although Trustees focused on the medical school, they also engaged in discussion on issues pertinent to Tufts' undergraduate community. The Board officially marked the end of the University-wide "Tufts Tomorrow" campaign with a gala celebration.

Faculty and student members of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience presented initial findings to the Academic Affairs Committee. Professor Gilbert Metcalf, Dean Charles Inouye, Dean of Students Bruce Reitman, and students James Blockwood and Charline Han discussed ways to enhance students' four years at Tufts and to create a lifelong relationship with the University. The same committee heard a presentation from Trustee Representative Matthew Kane on improving trustee-student relations.

Trustees plan to continue to make improvements to Tufts' undergraduate schools while simultaneously bettering the graduate schools. "We've put a lot of money into the undergrad campus in the past few years, and now we're looking to the other schools," Golden said. The Board will not overlook the Medford campus as there are still "problems there as well," he said.

The Board of Trustees' meetings, in which long-term University plans are discussed, are not open to students. Student input is usually relayed through the three Tufts Community Union (TCU) Trustee Representatives and special pre-planned student presentations.

The entire Board of Trustees meets only three times a year, but smaller groups of trustees gather more frequently in one of three committees: Academic Affairs, Development, and Administration & Finance.

The Board of Trustees is also deeply involved with the University's financial considerations, and prepared to approve Tufts' budget for fiscal year 2004 over the weekend.

President Larry Bacow announced several new, large gifts to the University, including a $5 million challenge grant aimed at increasing minority financial aid. This challenge grant, given by alumni Daniel and Karen Pritzker, has already received two separate $1 million gifts in response, including one from Trustee Katherine Chenault. Other new gifts included an anonymous $1 million donation toward the new music building and a $500,000 gift to the School of Engineering.

Outgoing trustee Ed Budd gave a $1.5 million challenge grant for the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Finally, the Board of Trustees engaged in self-maintenance by beginning the process of choosing a successor to current Chairman Nathan Gantcher, who will retire at the end of the year. The Board also bid farewell to five trustees who have completed their terms of service: Frederick "Rick" Hauck (LA '62), Jane Scanland (J '68), Dr. Barbara Rockett (M '57), Jack Krol (LA '58), and Gordon Wood (LA '55).

The tide of outgoing trustees was partially replenished by two new Alumni Trustees, Deborah Jospin (J '68) and Edward M. Swan, Jr. (LA '63). Jospin is the partner and co-founder of a Washington, DC consulting group that advises non-profit organizations and foundations, and Swan serves as president of Fiduciary Investment Solutions Group of Philadelphia, which manages assets of $1.2 billion.