 |
 |
 |
 |
Surviving the Early Years
In 1979, we opened the medical school at a small motel called, "The Castaway," with a student body of eleven. I remember it vividly. Those first students arriving… not knowing what to expect, but determined to achieve their goal. That was the beginning of Ross University School of Medicine. There were other vivid memories to come. And if we had any foreshadowing of them, the school might have closed then and there.
Hurricane David hit Dominica in August of 1979, with winds of approximately 200 mph. This was a category 5 hurricane that nearly destroyed the entire country, including The Castaway Motel. We were due to begin our second semester in September, and all was going well. Then all hell broke loose. The Castaways was destroyed, and would have to be rebuilt. There was no running water or electricity. Most of the roads had been washed away. My administration thought that this may have been the beginning of the end. What they didn't know -- or realize --was how I thrive on challenges. No matter what obstacles are thrown my way, I will persevere.
Under these circumstances, I knew that we had to relocate for a short period of time. I immediately contacted a number of universities in the U.S., to see if I could find a home for our incoming new students, as well as for our continuing students. Initially, I was able to make arrangements with American University, in Washington, D.C., to accept both my first and second semester students. It then dawned on me, "Why in the world did I ever go to the Caribbean, when I might be able to offer my educational programs in the U.S.?" My answer came three weeks later. The Provost of American University informed me that they was canceling our agreement and would not permit our students to continue their education there.
At that time my lawyer was the former assistant Secretary of the Treasury, under the Nixon Administration. Talk about a tough litigator. I immediately called him and asked for his assistance during a meeting with the President and the Provost of American University. The gloves came off and we let them know, in no uncertain terms, that if they did not adhere to their contract, we would be forced to seek an injunction against them. As a result, we were permitted to complete one more semester before the program terminated.
Starting Over and Moving On
In 1980, we moved back to Dominica. The conditions were terrible, yet I was determined that Ross University was going to survive; I did everything in my power to make certain that it did. The Castaway Motel had to be almost entirely rebuilt. Since there was no electricity, we brought in generators to restore the power. Water was trucked in from Roseau and we had to fly in food from the U.S.
I give much credit to my students who had the guts and determination to become physicians, no matter what the circumstances. Consider how difficult it must have been for them to leave home to attend a school with no reputation… and under the worst possible conditions. They were survivors in every sense of the word. I am convinced that because of these experiences, my graduates can overcome any obstacle that life presents. They were, and are, tough and resilient.
In the early days, one student truly stood out as a leader, helping others through this difficult time. Her name was Nancy Perri. After graduating from Ross, she went on to become a chief resident at St. Elizabeth Hospital in New Jersey, and to complete a fellowship in transplant nephrology from Downstate Medical Center in New York. Several years later, she became the Dean of Clinical Sciences at Ross University.
In 1980, we started construction of our first real campus, located in Portsmouth. As you can imagine, there are many challenges to building a campus in the Caribbean. Most of supplies and equipment had to be shipped in to Dominica; we were waiting weeks for basic building materials to arrive. We decided to go with a prefab design for our campus, to reduce construction time. What we didn't realize was that we would have to ship the steel frame to Dominica and then, somehow, transport it to our campus. I should point out that the roads on Dominica are not straight. Most are a single lane, with 100-foot drop-offs into the ocean. To make matters worse, most Dominicans drive at high speeds around blind curves -- with their horns blaring. With that image in mind, imagine about transporting 50-foot steel beams and a large container of materials over 40 miles of the roughest terrain imaginable.
The pace of life, and construction, is also different in the Caribbean than from the place I call home - New York City. In fact, when you ask the foreman how things were progressing, he would often respond, "come soon mun." To get the crew to work a complete week was virtually impossible. And it seemed like every other day was a holiday. Even worse, was that the workers would often take off the day before the holiday, in preparation of the holiday. I soon learned the meaning of "come soon." But we adapted, and understood that the pace in the Caribbean was a tad bit slower than the United States.
Did I mention the weather? The rainy season begins in May and lasts into October. Like clockwork, during this time period, it rains almost every day in Dominica. You can probably guess that rain and construction do not work well together. There was delay, after delay, after delay. What did I get myself into? I can't even begin to tell you how many times the construction site looked more like a bog than our future campus. Who knew that Dominica's largest export is water? (It's true!)
Creating a cutting-edge campus involved much more than just construction. Once the building themselves were completed, it was also necessary to import - and install -- all the teaching and medical equipment. In the beginning, our campus consisted of a small administration building, library, several labs, classrooms, and faculty offices. It was basic, but it served our purpose. Working in an anatomy lab with no air conditioning was brutal. Power outages were frequent, making the educational experience even more exciting.
As time went on, and as enrollment increased, I kept reinvesting in the University. I wanted to build a school that was better than any of the existing U.S. schools. I realized that the schools in the U.S. had not yet fully embraced how technology could advance an educational program. Taking the lead, I developed state-of-the-art-facilities, cutting-edge Learning Resource Centers, a 21st century Anatomy Lab, and a Library that was on par with any U.S. school. The latest and greatest audiovisual technology was installed in virtually every classroom and laboratory on campus. To run the campus and ensure a steady supply of electricity, we built our own power plant. Of course, the entire campus eventually became air-conditioned, to the joy of all the students. This was truly a campus to marvel at.
The final critical component was to obtain qualified faculty members, deans, administrators, and consultants for both the administrative office in the U.S., as well as the campus. We needed to locate individuals dedicated to teaching the next generation of U.S. medical students. These educators had to focus on one goal - helping capable students realize their dream, amidst living and learning conditions that differed from what they may have been used to at home. Our students had to adjust not only to new experiences -- medical school -- but to a new country, as well.
Our goal was to build a medical school that was equivalent to, if not surpassing, those found with the U.S.
We knew we would succeed, and others feared our success.