Senate Chair Jim Augustine, medicine, invited Greenberg to address senators about the planned merger of USC’s and MUSC’s colleges of pharmacy. USC’s Board of Trustees gave final approval to the merger and to combine both universities’ research foundations Oct. 22. MUSC’s board members have discussed but not approved merging the two research foundations.

“Let me start by saying why, I think, partnerships are important not just for USC or MUSC but for the state of South Carolina,” Greenberg said. “We all realize that this is a modest-sized state. It is a state that typically has a very modest amount of financial resources available, and it has invested, I think we would all agree, a very modest portion of that modest resource in higher education.

“That is a challenge to all of us in trying to build the highest quality higher-education environment that we can in the state. One of, if not the greatest strength, in overcoming those structural challenges is to put our resources together. That is probably the greatest opportunity for us to create high quality programs in the state.”

The relationship between the Medical University of South Carolina and USC is particularly important because the institutions are complementary, Greenberg said. USC has departments—chemistry, physics, and engineering, for example— that MUSC does not. USC also has a large undergraduate student body and the infrastructure to support it.

“We don’t have the resources to build these areas,” Greenberg said. “What we need to do is go out and find opportunities to build partnerships with those institutions that offer those strengths. USC represents for us the best research-oriented campus to build those collaborations where there are opportunities for finding strength by leveraging our collective resources.”

MUSC offers strengths that USC does not have, including all of the clinical health disciplines and a teaching hospital based on residency programs. “These are strengths that the campuses can bring together that are greater than the sum of the parts,” Greenberg said.

When asked if any other academic programs at USC and MUSC are being considered for integration, Greenberg said, “There is none that I’m aware of. There are many research programs in which there is very active discussion about integration and joint proposals.”

Greenberg also responded to a question about whether the executive dean of the merged pharmacy colleges, with campuses at USC and MUSC in Charleston, would be required to live in Charleston.

“No candidate has a requirement that they live in Charleston,” he said. “I would like the faculty of the college and the dean to make many of these internal management decisions rather than being dictated by either or both of the campuses.

“What I’ve heard from the candidates is that what is absolutely critical for them to be successful is to be physically present in both locations for substantial portions of their time such that they are not perceived by either faculty as having bias toward one campus. To me, where the executive dean resides is a secondary issue. That’s a personal decision. What is absolutely critical is that the dean represent both campuses and know what is going on at both campuses and understand the culture and environment and issues of both campuses and represent both campuses effectively.”

Greenberg said the pool of candidates for the executive dean is the strongest he has seen for almost any academic job.

“We have a sitting dean, a former dean, an associate dean, and someone who was a full professor at a very distinguished university who is now working in private industry,” he said. “Every candidate after visiting campus has remained interested. I think we have a very strong pool with a range of backgrounds to choose from.”

11/04