“We knew this was on the horizon,” he said.

“Western Michigan University notified the accrediting body (about) a year ago that they had an intention of (opening a medical school).”

WMU announced Tuesday it had received an anonymous $100 million cash gift to help to open a medical school in the next two or three years.

The donation is among the 10 largest cash gifts ever received by an American public university, according to a statement by WMU.

“We have great faculty (in Kalamazoo), great educational experiences, and it’s too bad for the college and the state that we won’t be there,” Sousa said.

“But the hospitals — their main partners are the people in their community.”

Ending the partnership was a “mutual agreement” made by both MSU and the hospitals, and mainly is an issue of capacity, said Scott Larson, senior vice president for medical affairs at Bronson Methodist Hospital.

There currently are between 40 and 50 third- and fourth-year medical students in Kalamazoo, and once WMU opens its school, its students will be added to the mix, he said.

MSU recently established and is working to expand its medical school programs in Traverse City, Mich., and Midland, Mich., and Sousa said MSU’s partnerships with hospitals across the state continue to be strong.

In February, the college announced a partnership with Synergy Medical Education Alliance’s partner hospitals in Saginaw, Mich., will end this summer, after MSU’s position as overseer of its medical education programs was revoked in December 2010.

All MSU students who already have begun their clinical rotations in Kalamazoo will be able to complete their training there, Larson said, adding there will be another class of MSU students arriving this summer and likely one more the following summer.

Bronson currently is in talks with MSU about when the transition to ending the partnership will begin, which depends on when WMU sets an opening date for its school of medicine, Larson said.

“We want to be a good community partner — we’re very supportive of Western Michigan University’s interest in a medical school,” he said.

“It’s disappointing that that has impacted to continue our relationship with MSU.”

WMU adds to a growing list of universities to have medical schools in Michigan.

Oakland University will usher in its first class of medical students this August and Central Michigan University plans to open a medical school in 2013, adding to the long-running medical programs at MSU, University of Michigan and Wayne State University.

Biochemistry and molecular biology freshman Kimberly Obey, who plans to apply to medical school when she graduates, said she would like to stay in state for medical school if possible.

Doubling the amount of medical schools in state will give premedical students a greater chance of being accepted, but it will create more competition for residency programs if those spots are not
increased at the same rate, she said.

“(Some students) are going to have to go out of state for their residencies,” Obey said.