College of Medicine Controversy

The University of Florida's College of Medicine is trying to clear up recent admissions controversy by forming a subcommittee of faculty members to review the process. After a student was admitted into the College of Medicine by its dean against the wishes of the college's selection committee, faculty members are now questioning who's really in control. President of the College of Medicine's Faculty council, Dr. Rebecca Pauly, says the subcommittee was formed to increase shared governance. Pauly says the committee wants to examine the selections process and fix the parts they find confusing. About a month ago, the dean of UF's College of Medicine, Dr. Bruce Kone, chose to overrule the selections committee and admit the son of a prominent Republican fundraiser into the college. The applicant, Benjamin Mendelsohn, had not taken the required M-CAT exam yet. Pauly says the current rules are unclear whether the dean has the ultimate authority in selecting applicants. UF President Bernie Machen has looked into the situation and said he is satisfied with the candidate's qualifications. However many faculty members found this case quite interesting and are the reason behind the current investigation. Pauly says a goal is to outline a way to deal with controversial cases, like Mendelsohn's, that may arise in the future. Pauly says she hopes to have a subcomittee report available for the public by Mid May. All subcomittee information can be found on the College of Medicine's Faculty Council website.

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