NEWS
Several Detroit-area interested parties said they're optimistic about the benefits a proposed expansion of MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine could have on health care in the region.
"Education's probably one of the most important aspects at keeping us competitive," said John Carroll Jr., senior vice president of business development at the Detroit Regional Chamber.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine plans to start a four-year branch campus in the Detroit area that could be established by 2007.
The college already has expanded its class size to 205 students in the past three years, said William Strampel, the school's dean.
Without specific details about how many jobs would be created and how much the expansion would cost, it's hard to predict the impact the project could have on the Detroit economy, Carroll said.
But he added that he'd welcome any new development, and that the region's medical industry has room to grow.
"It is an industry that is struggling from recruitment issues," said Ceeon Quiett, a spokeswoman for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
City hospitals have had to look outside the area, and even outside the state, to fill vacant positions, she said.
"We should be able to look right here," Quiett said.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine has a history of retaining students.
