LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Hauck on Thursday voiced his concerns with the proposal to move Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine out of the Mount Pleasant community entirely.
“As a lifelong resident of Mount Pleasant and a proud supporter of Central Michigan University, I am deeply concerned about the university considering relocating all of the College of Medicine’s operations to Saginaw,” said Hauck R-Mount Pleasant. “Throughout this process, we have been left with more questions than answers. The price tag alone has raised concerns because it would rely heavily on donations to even make the move possible.
“No one has presented a clear outline of the implications this could have and what it will mean for existing buildings and programs on the Mount Pleasant campus. I believe this plan is significantly lacking the diligence required for such a major shift in university operations.”
It was recently announced that the Central Michigan University College of Medicine is planning to move all of the medical school operations to the campus in Saginaw. Currently, both the Mount Pleasant and Saginaw campuses share the medical school’s operations.
The move is expected to cost roughly $200 million, and the current proposed goal is to complete the move by 2028.
Hauck said he is primarily concerned with what will happen if the money is not raised, who will be held accountable and what the plan is to backfill the loss of students.
“Who will be held responsible if the money is not raised or if this project fails?” Hauck questioned. “And if the plan is to expand other programs and utilize existing buildings and space to do so: What is the delay? Enrollment remains significantly down since 2010 and there should already be space available for new initiatives.
“There are simply too many unanswered questions, and I encourage the university’s board of trustees to delay any new construction until all options are fully explored, and the necessary funding is secured.”
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Editor’s Note: An opinion piece from Hauck about the local impact of the proposed move can be found on his website.