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From the desk of...
Dr. Robert Ross
Founder, Ross University
As a lifelong entrepreneur, I know that it's imperative to have the ability to recognize a good idea when you hear one. By doing so, I filled a real need in our country and created an extremely successful business. In the 1970s, I started a medical school with less than a dozen students and a dream. Today, it's expanded into a $350 million dollar organization, and has graduated more than 7,000 Doctors of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. Here's the story of how it all happened:
The Idea
In 1976, one of my employees approached me with a wonderful idea. His son dreamt of becoming a physician, yet he was unable to obtain entrance into any U.S. medical school. Back then, only a limited number of students were accepted each year; there were over 40,000 applicants for approximately 15,000 seats. The only way for the son to fulfill his dream was to find an alternative source of education. An idea was born that I finance a plan to help individuals who had the potential to become successful physicians gain the training that would allow them to practice medicine in the U.S.
After much discussion and thought, I agreed to help these students pursue their goals by initially developing a clinical placement service. We planned to assist students, who had completed their basic medical educational training in foreign medical schools, to locate clinical rotations in the U.S. Although I did not have the time to personally oversee the program, I agreed to provide the financing and to hire a qualified individual to run it. As a result of our efforts, my employee's son -- along with a number of other students attending medical school in the Dominican Republic and Mexico -- were successful in obtaining clinical rotations in some of the best teaching hospitals in the New York tri-state area.
In 1978, another idea surfaced -- expanding the recruitment program. It was suggested that I open my own medical school. I was astounded that anyone would think that I -- a person with no medical or education background -- would attempt such a project. My company was an import/export business, dealing in petroleum, petrol chemicals, grain, coal, steel, fertilizers, semiconductors, and other commodities. However, the idea persisted, and I was convinced that I should at least consider opening a medical school. I love a challenge - especially one for which there is a great need. I recognized that there was a shortage of medical care in many rural and inner-city areas, and that the U.S. was not graduating a sufficient number of physicians to satisfy the demand.
The medical school options for U.S. citizens at that time were few: Guadalajara, Mexico; Bologna, Italy; and some small medical schools elsewhere in Europe. Attending these schools had the intrinsic complications of concerns for quality of life, studying in foreign languages, and, most importantly, a difference in teaching styles and philosophies. The medical education taught at these schools was appropriate for practicing within each individual country. However, it did not necessarily prepare students to practice in the U.S. -- a country making technological advances in the medical field at a rapid rate. There was obviously a need for a school of medicine that would train U.S. students to practice in the U.S.
The Beginnings
I began researching the possibilities. I went to the American Medical Association, requesting the names and addresses of former deans who were involved in foreign universities. This research developed into assembling a staff of consultants. They would assist me in organizing the medical school that would come to be called the University of Dominica, which subsequently became Ross University School of Medicine. As a result, we recruited two former deans of U.S. medical schools to provide guidance and advise. These men, William Thurman, M.D., and Robert Kugel, M.D., were skilled in both administration, and the field of medical education. They would provide the academic and technical expertise for this ground-breaking new venture.
Originally, I considered opening a school in the U.S. However, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), whose members were the 125 U.S. medical schools, would not consider my application. They were not interested in new opportunities and wished to maintain the status quo.
I decided that I could still help my students prepare to practice medicine in the U.S.; I would just have to build the campus outside of the AAMC's jurisdiction.
The government of Jamaica was very receptive to our concept of developing a medical school. In fact, the Prime Minister and Cabinet Members openly supported us. However, at the final approval meeting, the Dean of the University of the West Indies expressed the concern that such a school might adversely impact his own. He felt that one medical school in the area was sufficient. Respectful of this concern, although disagreeing with it, I withdrew my offer. However, during the meeting, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an offer from Patrick John, Prime Minister of Dominica, to visit his country. We accepted his invitation, and the rest is history. In the fall of '78, we reached an agreement with the government of Dominica, and the Charter for University of Dominica was subsequently established.