Students in southern Indiana looking to get an advanced degree in medicine heard some pretty exciting news recently. You may have already heard that four local universities revealed their intent to expand medical education opportunities for students by participating in a new interdisciplinary health science research and education campus. The Indiana University School of Medicine-Evansville, the University of Evansville, the University of Southern Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College have entered a rather unique agreement to work together in order to create a program for all four schools’ medical education students. A new campus, location undecided, will open up to 1,600 to 2,000 students from all four universities. I’m extremely excited that Evansville will be home to such an innovative program. Continuing to improve education in Indiana has always been one of my priorities. Ensuring that our children get a solid educational foundation will help them get ahead in the world, no matter what path they decide to take. Whether they choose a two or four year college, technical career training, military service or any other option, having a firm understanding of the basic subjects - math, science, reading, etc. – will undoubtedly assist them along the way. This summer one of the interim study committees I’ve been serving on, the Regional Campuses Study Committee, traveled to campuses of Indiana University and Purdue University across the state, focusing on the campus’ management, growth, needs and future plans. This committee is charged with making sure state schools have the support they need and are upholding the standards set by the state. Over the course of these meetings, we discussed important aspects of the university structures and how they need to grow and develop with student population and degree demand. Along with that comes the necessary adjustment in funding. The final report of this committee recommends that the Commission for Higher Education and the Legislature adjust the current funding formula to reflect the unique qualities of regional college campuses, something we actually managed to do in the 2014-2015 budget and will continue to do as needs change. Speaking of change, I can’t believe it is already November! Halloween has passed and Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it, followed closely by the start of the 2014 legislative session. I’m looking forward to being back at the Statehouse, and would like to remind you that I am always looking for great ideas to take with me from our district. Taking our local perspective to Indianapolis is important to me, so please feel free to call my office at 317-232-9815 or email me at h78@iga.in.gov and share your ideas, thoughts and opinions. |
