October 2010 President’s Corner

Office of the President and
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
John B. Connally Building
301 Tarrow, 7th Floor
College Station, TX 77840-7896

October 5, 2010

Dear TAMHSC Community,

Fall is here, and it seems like summer went by so quickly. But what a busy and exciting summer it was for the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC)!

Hundreds of people came out to one of the most significant events in our 10-year history – the dedication of the new Bryan campus on State Highway 47. The July 22 dedication included a recognition of the occupancy of the first building – the Health Professions Education Building (HPEB) – and emergence of the campus’s first clinical building. The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents also hosted its regular meeting on our new campus, giving them a chance to experience the state-of-the-art facility. Thanks to everyone who made this event such a tremendous success!

During the July Board of Regents meeting, Thomas (Sam) Shomaker, M.D., J.D., Chancellor’s Health Fellow in Healthcare Reform/Reimbursement at The University of Texas System, was named the new Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean of the College of Medicine and TAMHSC vice president for clinical affairs. The leadership of the college and the entire health science center is excited about the energy and vision he brings to our academic enterprise. Welcome aboard, Dr. Shomaker!

Congratulations to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program at the Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, as it has received full accreditation status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Board of Directors. This accreditation is important as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) begins to evaluate the TAMHSC for compliance with core requirements, comprehensive standards and federal requirements. And, of course, it is important to our graduates as a measure of the education they received!

Accreditation for the TAMHSC is necessary to award degrees and to be allowed to provide financial aid for our students. Accreditation ensures a level of quality in education and provides the stamp of approval that an institution of higher education is viable and secure and, as such, degrees awarded by the institution will be recognized as true achievements. It also gives us an opportunity to review our commitment to the continuous improvement of the education programs of the TAMHSC. The entire TAMHSC community will play an important role in the upcoming SACS process.

A new component in the accreditation process is the Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP. Its goal is to improve some aspect of the educational program at the TAMHSC. Additional information about the QEP and overall accreditation process will be in upcoming editions of the Pulse and campuswide emails or you can follow the process on the TAMHSC website, http://www.tamhsc.edu

Amidst all these positive activities, the TAMHSC leadership continues to work to identify efficiencies and cost saving. The budget process is very challenging this year, but attention to detail, careful scrutiny of spending and a bit of extra effort on the part of each of us to cover vacant roles have us off to a fair start. The state and nation’s well-being will define where we need to be a year from now.

Best regards,
Nancy W. Dickey, M.D.
President, Texas A&M Health Science Center
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, Texas A&M University System