New dean counsels freshmen
by Kim Miller
Growth and change were the orientation themes Aug. 3 for the School of Medicine’s Class of 2010.
The school boasts a new dean, Dr. D. Douglas Miller, and a growing class size –190 – to address a projected physician shortage.
“We will attain the motto of change, innovate and educate,” Dr. Miller told the class, encouraging them to look at change in a positive light. “If we individually accept the inevitably of change and invest our time and effort in making proactive changes, we will be the better for it, as will the school, as will the state.”
Dr. Miller believes the school must create an environment conducive to innovation, in part by matching students with innovative educators.
“I would encourage you to think of your interactions with the faculty as an opportunity to pass on your thoughts to them about how this can be an innovative place for you to learn and to do science,” he said.
Dr. Miller urged the class to be receptive and prepared to learn.
“It’s not all a one-way street of us dumping information at you and you just absorbing it by osmosis,” he said. “The better prepared you are, the more receptive you will be.”
Dr. Ruth Marie Fincher, vice dean for academic affairs, compared medical school to a marathon. “Marathon training requires consistency,” she explained. “Weekend warriors rarely finish marathons because they get injured. People who cram in medical school rarely learn information over the long run. You need to start slowly enough that you can sustain yourself and finish strong.”
The school’s renovated lecture rooms in the Hamilton Wing of the R&E Building will accommodate the larger class. New features include added seating, white boards, television screens, upgraded electronics at the podium and sound panels to improve acoustics. Within a few weeks, each seat will have power and data outlets to accommodate laptops.