(This story appears in the latest edition of the WSU Spokane Magazine)
Washington State University President Kirk Schulz has been on the job for about six months. The latest edition of the WSU Spokane Magazine has this Q&A with WSU’s new president to talk about his thoughts on Spokane, WSU’s medical school and more:
The WSU Spokane health sciences campus sits along the Spokane River on the east end of downtown Spokane. Photo courtesy of Isaacson Aerial Photography.
(Ed. Note: The latest edition of the WSU Spokane Magazine is available as a PDF here. It is also distributed statewide to WSU alumni and friends. This is the final story from the magazine. Enjoy!)
By Terren Roloff
From as far back as Spokane’s early years, the 50 acres a few blocks east of downtown were anything but pretty.
By the 1960s, when community leaders realized that area and the rail yards downtown had become a blight on the community, those 50 acres were plagued by waste and neglect.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too long after that realization that things changed for the better.
Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation today that allows WSU to operate a medical school in Spokane. This is a great day for WSU, Spokane and the entire state. As the Governor was signing, the audience around him broke out into a nice rendition of the WSU fight song – a fitting way to celebrate.
The legislation – officially House Bill 1559 – changes a 1917 law that restricted medical education solely to the University of Washington.
It’s been a long road to this point. So what comes next?
This morning, the Washington Senate gave final approval to the bill that now allows WSU to operate a medical school at its Spokane campus. The final vote was 47-1.
This is a wonderful birthday gift for the university, which turns 125 tomorrow.
So how’d we get here, and what’s next?
The Washington House of Representatives passed its version of the medical school bill tonight.
The bill would allow WSU to operate a medical school on its Spokane campus (it also allows WSU to operate a forestry program, as Rep. Ed Orcutt deftly pointed out).
So what’s the next step? The Senate still needs to vote on its version of the bill. The bill would also need approval from Governor Inslee.
The bill simply changes a 1917 law that restricted medical education to the University of Washington. WSU is also asking for $2.5 million in startup funds to work through the accreditation process. Those budget discussions will come at a later date.
The legislature is scheduled to end its session on April 26.
As the legislative session moves along in Olympia, the state of two medical school bills in the House and Senate continues to be monitored.
So here’s an update:
In the Senate, SB 5487 advanced through the Ways & Means Committee last night. The bill now moves to the Rules Committee.
In the House, HB 1559 is scheduled for a hearing this afternoon in the Appropriations Committee.
Washington State University’s pursuit of a medical school took a big step forward today when two bills – one in the Senate and one in the House – were introduced today and would allow WSU to operate a public medical school. A law that dates back to 1917 currently mandates that only the University of Washington can operate a public medical school in Washington.
Senator Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane) introduced the bill in the Senate, while Representative Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane) introduced the bill in the House.
WSU President Elson Floyd weighed in today in his President’s Perspectives column.
KXLY has a cool photo of the two dropping their bills in the Hopper, along with a story on the two bills. The Spokesman-Review has coverage as well.
Last week, the WSU Board of Regents met in Spokane and among the items it took action on was the approval of the design of the University District Health Clinic, which will be built on our campus. The clinic is part of the Spokane Teaching Health Center, a consortium of WSU Spokane, Providence Health Care and Empire Health Foundation.
The clinic will be a teaching site for medical residents.
Our research on police and deadly encounters has received attention in a number of places.
Dr. Lois James’ research shows that police officers hesitate longer when encountering black suspects in deadly situations than they do with white suspects.
Dr. Bryan Vila’s research on police fatigue and decision making shows that police officers have an extremely difficult job and was featured on Anderson Cooper 360.
Last night, CNN’s Don Lemon hosted a town hall called “Cops Under Fire” and referenced the research happening on our campus.
Washington State University President Elson S. Floyd was on “Inside Olympia” this week on TVW to talk about higher education tuition, a WSU medical school and more.
On an unrelated note, Floyd is also the recipient of the CASE District 8 2015 Leadership Award.