Proposal for New Medical School Submitted
University of California-Riverside officials on Monday submitted to the UC president's office a proposal to develop a new medical school, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
According to the plan, it would cost about $15 million to launch the program, with total costs reaching about $950 million over 15 years. The plan calls for private donations to account for about half of the start-up costs for the proposed medical school, with state funds accounting for the remainder, UCR Chancellor France Cordova said.
Construction for the proposed medical school would occur in two phases: 2007 to 2012 and 2012 to 2022. A state bond measure would be needed to help fund the second phase, which would include about $350 million in new facilities. However, the plan does not call for a new hospital.
Cordova said the initial budget for the proposed medical school would be about $9 million. The operating budget could grow to $124 million annually, and the proposed school over its first 10 years could accumulate a deficit of $38 million, according to the Press-Enterprise (Agha/Beeman, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 5/16).
The plan calls for the medical school to open in 2012 with a class of 40. Enrollment would increase to 384 medical students and 157 faculty members (Rosenblatt, Los Angeles Times, 5/16).
A special committee of the UC Board of Regents on June 28 will report on UC recommendations for a new medical school. The California Postsecondary Education Commission would have to review the proposal if the UC Board of Regents approves it.
UC-Merced this month also plans to submit a proposal for a new medical school, spokesperson Brandy Nikaido said (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 5/16).
Maria Pallavicini, dean of natural sciences at UC-Merced, said the two proposals would not compete against each other (Los Angeles Times, 5/16).