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Conquering Obstacles
Physical concerns of distance and supplies were only some of the obstacles that Ross University had to face. Many impediments had to do more with human nature, rather than Mother Nature. We were a new university and there were many opposed to our very existence. Establishing an educational program in a different country is not always a smooth transition. There were growing pains in our relationship with Dominica, as there always are when paving the way for a new business relationship. Issues arose over employment, legal requirements, adjusting to cultural differences, and, of course, differences between strong personalities.
However, the majority of the obstacles faced were due to the opposition within the U.S. There were immense pressures from the medical establishment to stop us from succeeding; its members did not want a "foreign" university training students and graduates to practice medicine in the U.S. - even though those students were predominantly U.S. citizens. U.S. medical boards, as well as the AAMC, claimed that there were already too many physicians and no more were needed. The opposition was intense, in the 1980s. In fact, students and advisors alike were affected by the level of negative publicity created by these organizations. Consequently, our enrollment was a meager 160 students; a far cry from the 2,000+ students currently enrolled at Ross.
I had faith in Ross University and fought vigorously for my students, investing millions of dollars -- out of my own pocket -- to insure its survival. I took on one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the world, the medical profession, and won! They were not able to shut us down through threats, intimidation or legislation. Ross University continued to educate students, and offer them an educational experience comparable to that offered in U.S. schools of medicine.
In 1992, another challenge arose. The U.S. Department of Education promulgated proposed guidelines for reviewing all international schools. Unless these guidelines were modified or amended, they would have precluded our students from receiving Title IV funding for financial aid. Without financial aid, most of our students would not be able to afford the cost of a medical education. This was a way for the special interest groups to strike at the heart of the University. I, for one, was not going to take it anymore.
I arrived in Washington D.C., and began meeting with a number of Senators and members of the House of Representatives. I explained that many of their constituents - both graduates and students of Ross --needed their support in order to become physicians or veterinarians. They were receptive, and understood how unfair the proposed regulations were to our current and future students. I was convinced that through my efforts, members of Congress would support the idea that every American -- who had the innate ability and desire - has the right to pursue his or her dream.
One Friday, I was informed that there would be a crucial vote on Monday, on the acceptability of foreign medical schools. Apparently, there was a serious fight going on between the Senate and the House of Representatives. I flew down to Washington and, at the eleventh hour, I met with Senator Pell, Chairman of Education and Congressman Ford, Chairman of the House. A compromise was reached! If Ross University had received approval of its educational program in any state prior to 1991, we would be exempt from most of the regulation. For those schools who were not exempt, two-thirds of the student body would have to be from the country in which the school is located. Most Caribbean schools could not meet this test, and would lose their Title IV funds, if not for the exemption. In our case, over 80% of Ross students were from the United States. Luckily for us, we had received N.Y. state approval, and were thus exempt from this onerous regulation.
In 1994, a provision was introduced by the U.S. Department of Education under the Higher Education Act that denied students attending international FOR-PROFIT universities from receiving Title IV funds. When this policy was changed to apply only to medical schools, it became apparent that this was yet another attempt by the medical establishment to cause all international medical school to collapse. The special interest groups recognized that most of the successful Caribbean medical schools were run as FOR-PROFIT enterprises.
I went back to Washington to appeal this provision to members of Congress. I felt that American students attending Ross University should have equal rights to receive their loans under Title IV -- the same as those students attending U.S. medical schools. Our lobbying successfully modified this proposal, with a retroactive component; if certain standards had already been met before this new provision was implemented, Ross University would be exempt. We had met those standards in 1992, by having achieved state approvals of our educational program.
The U.S. Department of Education's National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation made a site visit to Dominica in 1996. The goal was to determine if the accreditation standards employed by the Dominica Medical Board were comparable to those used by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education to evaluate programs leading to the M.D. degree in the U.S.
The inspection was not as successful as we would have hoped; the newly elected Minister of Health was unfamiliar with the requirements of the U.S. Department Education and the importance of directing that site team on its visit to Ross University. The new administration was not prepared for this initial meeting, and the DOE wanted to give each country a fair opportunity to present their best case. Our friends on Capitol Hill subsequently prevailed upon the Department of Education to send a second team back to Dominica, to evaluate the School of Medicine. They did so, and it was determined that the accreditation standards as written and applied, are comparable to the United States. As a result, Ross University continued to be a recipient of Title IV funds.