Queen Lane finishes first year as part of U.
Sumeet Patel
Issue date: 7/23/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
|
The $7.25 million purchase from the former MCP Hahnemann University, located on 2900 Queen Lane, currently houses first- and second-year medical students as well as biomedical graduate students.
The decision to buy the property involved complicated negotiations between the University, the College of Medicine and Tenet Health Systems, Inc.
"President Papadakis' decision to buy the [Queen Lane] campus when he did was a true stroke of genius," General Counsel Carl Oxholm said. "The campus was part of the same lease that applies to space rented for our faculty and students in MCP Hospital and the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute. EPPI is closed, and MCP is very likely to close. What would have happened to our College of Medicine if Drexel had not purchased it last summer?"
The campus' first year as part of the University community was full of hurdles, especially with the closing of MCP Hospital. When Tenet announced the closing of MCP December 18, 2003, the decision sent shock waves throughout both the University and the City of Philadelphia. Medical students were reassigned to other hospitals within three weeks.
"[University administrators] have negotiated affiliation agreements with other, first-class hospitals that offer state-of-the-art facilities to our students and residents," Oxholm said. "So, while we are losing proximity to the Queen Lane campus, we are gaining quality in the educational experience our students receive."
At the time of the purchase, the University had hope to use approximately 12 acres of land for the development of new laboratories and classrooms, which would have been impossible on the University City Main Campus due to lack of space. The plans for the project, however, are still in their infancy.
Meanwhile, the University has made notable changes in infrastructure, academic and otherwise, to the campus. These changes are designed to benefit not only the Queen Lane student body, but also the University student population at large.
"The University has made significant infrastructure improvements to the facility by converting locker rooms into student study areas and improving laboratories for student learning," Acting News Bureau Director Niki Ginakaris said. "Most importantly, we introduced the joint MD/MBA degree, which prepares physicians to apply management principles to individual or group practices, or to move into management positions at health care management and pharmaceutical companies."
Perhaps Queen Lane's biggest challenge in the upcoming year will be finding a new dean for the College of Medicine. According to an announcement sent to faculty and staff, College of Medicine interim Dean Stephen Klasko will be joining the University of Florida at Tampa October 1 as Senior Vice President of Health Services and Medical Dean.
"I believe I have been part of an amazing team, and we have put our hearts and souls into building a school we can all be proud of," Klasko said. "Despite significant external threats, we have rebuilt the academic infrastructure of the school and begun realizing the unique synergies that exist with Drexel University."
Be the first to comment on this story