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EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

GREENVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA 27834

February 4, 1971

P.O. Box 2701
Tel. (919) 758-6008

Office of The Dean

The Honorable Robert W. Scott
Governor of North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina 27602

Dear Governor Scott:

Attached is the Report of the Survey by the Liaison Committee on
Medical Education to the East Carolina University School of Medi-
cine October 11-13, 1970. The Report represents an objective
evaluation of the steps taken by the State of North Carolina and
East Carolina University in developing the two-year medical
school.

Because of the authorizing actions of the 1965 and 1967 General
Assemblies, the planning and development appropriation of the

1969 General Assembly, the presence of Dr. Wallace Wooles and his
core faculty associates, and your June 24, 1970 letter to Dr. C.
H. W. Ruhe; the medical program was recognized officially by the
Liaison Committee on Medical Education as a "medical school in
development" in July, 1970. Thus it joined several newly develop-
ing schools across the country whose states have taken similar
steps.

The East Carolina Medical School has achieved national visibility
since July, 1970. Two recent reports on expansion of medical
education in the U. S. recognize our school among those now in.
development and call for the establishment of nine to twelve more
across the country. This information is contained in the Carnegie
Commission Report on Medical Education and in the Report on
Expansion of Medical Education of the Association of American
Medical Association on November 27, 1970, along with those of
other developing schools. The School is a recognized entity in
the offices of the several large foundations that traditionally
support medical schools, as well as in the branches of the National
Institute of Health concerned with federal support for medical
education. It is ironic that such national visibility has been
achieved while so little recognition of our current status has
been communicated by the North Carolina press.

Gov. Robert W. Scott -2- L February 1971

As a "School in Development", we were eligible to receive the
advice, counsel, and informal and formal consultations from the
Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The next step towards
accreditation comes immediately prior to entrance of the first
class and after funding, when the University may formally request
provisional accreditation.

The following positive factors in the development of the school
were found by the October evaluation:

1. That a clear: need exists to substantially increase the number
of North Carolina students studying medicine since North Carolina
~ranks 46th; among fifty states in the proportion of medical students
to population;

2. That the school at East Carolina University will increase the
interest and number of students in the study of medicine;

3. That regardless of the expansion of other North Carolina
schools, a sufficient number of qualified applicants can be ex-
pected;

4. That the school at East Carolina University will contribute
to alleviating ane severe shortage of physicians in eastern North
Carolina;

5. ."That the Pou ek laid by the North Carolina General Assembly -
and the administration. of East Carolina University is impressive;

6. That the number and quality of the administrators and faculty,
already employed and proposed, is Baptist

7. That the plans for the library are sound and the proposed
operating budget is sound, reasonable, adequate and not excessive;

8. That the provision for acquisition and care of laboratory
animals is sound; and

9. That the interim facilities are attractive and adequate for
the size of the entering class.

The Report lists the following needs which are largely contingent
upon funding:

Gov. Robert W. Scott -3- 4 February 1971

1. That additional recruitment of departmental chairmen and
faculty-is needed; :

2. That the clinical arrangements for the Departments of Path-
ology and Clinical Education need to be finalized;

3. That the acquisition of teaching materials must continue; and

4. That firm arrangements for transfer of our students to other
schools, preferably in North Carolina, to complete their clinical
training should continue.

Tentative steps to implement these suggestions have been taken,
including selection of chairmen for.each of the departmental

~ vacancies and preliminary arrangements with schools in our southern region to consider our students for transfer. We have not taken
final action in these areas since definitive action would be pre-
sumptuous prior to the action of the 1971 General Assembly. In
like manner, we did not accept nor process any applications for an
entering class in 1971 in the absence of an appropriated operating
budget. Clearly, enrolling students into a program and subsequent
accreditation requires an operating budget to provide the faculty
and resources necessary. Obviously any appropriated budget could
not be available until the adjournment of the present Session of
the General Assembly. The additional highly qualified people
could not be available on such short notice between budgetary
approval and the start of a class in September 1971.

Because of these facts, it was the opinion of the Liaison Committee
that the current state of development of the medical education
program of East Carolina University does not justify provisional
accreditation to accept an entering class in 1971. . However, we
have no doubt that if funding is provided by the 1971 General
Assembly, qualified students can be enrolled, final staff appoint-
ments made, and provisional accreditation obtained prior to the
beginning of the 1972 academic session.

The Report, in its final form, confines itself only to our present
state of development. It does not contain any conjectural state-
ment beyond 1971. We have ascertained that this is because the
Liaison Committee, as a matter of policy, did not wish to inter-
ject themselves into a decision that must be made only by the
General Assembly.

East Carolina University is deeply appreciative of your support
and assistance'as we have worked long and hard toward establishing

Gov. Robert W. Scott -4- 4 February 1971

the medical school. The attached Report is the unbiased evaluation
of these efforts by recognized experts in medical education.

~Sincerely yours,

Edwin W. Monroe, M. D.
Director of Health Affairs

Wallace R. Wooles, Ph. D.
Dean of Medicine