MOUNT PLEASANT – A new cooperative agreement will grant Grand Valley State University premedical students early assurance of admission to the Central Michigan University College of Medicine through the Early Assurance Program.
The agreement — signed by GVSU President Dr. Thomas Hass and CMU President Dr. George Ross on October 19 in a formal ceremony that took place on the CMU campus — will enhance opportunities for GVSU premed students to navigate more easily through the highly competitive CMU College of Medicine admissions process by:
• Waiving supplemental application fees;
• Processing endorsed students on an earlier admissions timeline;
• Facilitating engagement opportunities between GVSU premed students and existing CMU College of Medicine students; and
• Reserving up to five positions for endorsed GVSU students to be admitted.
“We’re very excited about this partnership, which expands upon our existing interprofessional education relationship with Grand Valley State University, and will provide an enhanced opportunity for GVSU’s premedical students who demonstrate a desire to practice medicine in Michigan,” said CMU College of Medicine Dean Dr. George E. Kikano.
“This partnership increases the footprint of the College of Medicine, with GVSU’s multiple locations throughout the state, and is just one more way we will be achieving our mission to produce physicians with a passion for serving the people of Michigan who need them most,” said Kikano. “We identify our admitted students based largely on their expressed desire to focus on rural and under-served populations, which is core to our mission.”
Students will be required to meet the College of Medicine’s academic standards to participate in the EAP, which is designed as a three-year pilot.
Jean Nagelkerk, vice provost for Health at GVSU, said this agreement serves as an example of public higher education institutions collaborating to meet the needs of the state of Michigan and its residents. “The early assurance program assists with addressing the projected shortage of physicians by filling a critical need in the health care talent pipeline,” Nagelkerk said.
Added benefits of the program, Nagelkerk said, are that admitted students do not have to submit multiple applications to medical schools and are notified of their acceptance before their senior year at GVSU. “This affords students an opportunity to concentrate on broadening their knowledge base and skill set while engaging in high-impact learning experiences during their senior year,” she said.
The CMU College of Medicine welcomed its inaugural class of students in 2013.
