New Central Texas Medical School slated for 2023

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Temple Economic Development Corporation; Temple Health & Bioscience District

Nov 23, 2020, 11:40 ET

TEMPLE, Texas, Nov. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, announced plans to partner with Baylor College of Medicine to open a medical school campus in Temple, Texas.

The new campus, which is slated to open in fall 2023 with an inaugural class of 40 medical students, is part of Baylor Scott & White and Baylor College of Medicine's commitment to expand the pipeline of physicians and medical professionals in Central Texas. Beginning in 2023, the campus will increase by 40 students per year, welcoming 160 students over four years.

"This is a great opportunity to expand Baylor College of Medicine's outstanding medical education programs to a regional medical school campus," said Dr. Paul Klotman, president, CEO and executive dean of Baylor College of Medicine. "We are looking forward to being in Temple."  

This new source of medical talent will serve as an asset for Temple Economic Development Corporation (Temple EDC) in its business recruitment efforts to the Temple region, while the economic development organization's talent attracting marketing campaign, Meet Temple, will support the recruitment of students and healthcare professionals to the region.

Students will receive training from Baylor College of Medicine faculty members in the state-of-the-art facilities at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple, housed on the Baylor Scott & White Health campus in Temple.

Baylor School & White Medical Center – Temple will join a number of institutions that fuel Temple's medical education cluster, including Texas A&M University-Central Texas, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and Temple College's Texas Bioscience Institute. Already, about a fourth of Temple's jobs are in healthcare.

Temple Health and Bioscience District (THBD), which provides early-stage biotech companies with mentoring, funding, and access to office, lab and conference space, is another key partner in the effort.

"Our mission is to grow Temple's biotechnology corridor by nurturing early-stage companies," said Thomas Baird, Chairman of THBD. "A skilled workforce is paramount to their success, so the addition of a new state-of-the-art medical school campus to our life sciences ecosystem could not be more welcome. In addition, we look forward to supporting the growth of companies formed out of this new research partnership."

Among Temple's other health and life sciences institutions are McLane Children's Hospital, the only children's hospital between Dallas and Austin; and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the largest VA medical consortium in Texas and fourth largest in the United States.

About Temple Economic Development Corporation
The Temple Economic Development Corporation (Temple EDC) is a nonprofit organization that serves as the designated economic development entity for the City of Temple, Texas. Temple EDC strengthens relationships, builds partnerships, and provides solutions that cause entities to choose Temple. To learn more about doing business in Temple, visit TempleEDC.com.

About Temple Health & Bioscience District
The Temple Health & Bioscience District (THBD) was created as a result of legislation passed by the State of Texas in 2003. The first such district created in Texas, THBD is devoted to the development and creation of health, bioscience, biotechnology and life sciences opportunities in Temple, Texas. Temple is located halfway between San Antonio and Dallas on Interstate Highway 35 and is an emerging hub for medicine, medical research and technology. Visit www.templebioscience.com.

SOURCE Temple Economic Development Corporation; Temple Health & Bioscience District

International Students' most impacted by Covid-19 & ICE Decision

I’m deeply concerned about the recent ICE announcement concerning International Students.

As a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, we stand fully in support of the 1.2 million international students studying in the United States and urges ICE to rescind its decision to force international students back to their home countries in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, July 6, 2020, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that international students in the United States whose schools and colleges are open for the fall 2020 semester with online-only classes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will not be issued student visas or otherwise be allowed to enter or remain in this country. Most devastating, ICE’s policy holds that if colleges are forced to switch to online study as a result of a spike of COVID-19 cases—at any point in the semester—international students would be immediately deported, despite financial obligations, closed air routes, or violence that may await them in their home countries.

ICE’s policy and its requirement that international students “take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction” to remain in the United States is discriminatory, ill-advised, and capricious. In no way does this improve our educational system, strengthen the financial viability of schools or colleges, or help to combat—or even address—the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, the policy leverages the current public health crisis for political gain, targeting international students by those who oppose diversity in learning. IECA believes this policy is part of an ongoing effort to force schools and colleges to reopen for in-person instruction prematurely, using significant financial incentive—and overriding the health and best interests of students and educational institutions.

The United States’ educational system leads the world, and young people from across the globe flock here to learn. Millions have become doctors, researchers, and entrepreneurs enhancing American life or serving as ambassadors upon returning home. American students have their experience enhanced through daily interaction with friends from other cultures, and educational institutions rely on the approximately $45 billion dollars that international students contribute to the schools’ bottom line and the US economy annually. Without international students, some small colleges and boarding schools may no longer be viable. ICE’s policy further erodes the interest of top students across the globe in pursuing their education in the United States, and its rippling impacts hurt us all (Mark Sklarow, IECA CEO)

COLLEGES SPEAK OUT (NACAC TODAY)

Harvard, MIT Sue Federal Government Over ICE International Students Rules

The AP (7/8, Binkley) reports Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday sued the federal government, “challenging the Trump administration’s decision to bar international students from staying in the U.S. if they take classes entirely online this fall.” They argue that the decision “violates the Administrative Procedures Act because officials failed to offer a reasonable basis justifying the policy and because the public was not given notice to comment on it.”

        The New York (NY) Times (7/8, Hartocollis, Jordan) reports the universities “argued that the policy was politically motivated and would throw higher education into chaos.” The move is widely viewed as an “effort by the White House to pressure colleges and universities into reopening and abandoning the cautious approaches that many have adopted to reduce coronavirus transmission.” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey “vowed to support Harvard and M.I.T.’s efforts,” saying in a statement, “This decision from ICE is cruel, it’s illegal, and we will sue to stop it.”

        The Washington (DC) Post (7/8, Svrluga) reports the “swift response” by the universities marks a “new battle line in the war between President Trump and education leaders over how to safely reopen schools in the midst of his reelection bid.” Before the pandemic, international students were required to take classes in person, but the federal government “offered schools and students flexibility this spring,” and had “said that the new guidance would remain in effect for the duration of the emergency.” As a result, university officials “assumed that their international students would be allowed in the country even if they weren’t in the classroom.” Therefore, many schools, including Harvard, announced plans “to offer little to no in-person instruction.”

        However, Reuters (7/8) reports ICE’s announcement “left students, professors, and universities scrambling to figure out exactly who would be affected by the rule and how those affected could comply without having to leave the country.” The Washington Times (7/8, Dinan) reports the proposed rule “would still allow students whose schools plan in-person coursework, but if all of their classes have moved online during the coronavirus pandemic, those students would be ineligible to come or remain in the U.S.” The suit claims the decision is “cruel to the students — and speculated the rule was meant to be malicious.”

        CNBC (7/7, Dickler) reports foreign students “contributed nearly $41 billion to the national economy in the 2018-2019 academic year, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.” Deep cuts in state funding for higher education in recent years “have put pressure on schools to admit more students who need less aid, which is why so many schools have come to rely on the revenue from foreign students, who typically pay top dollar.” As a result, college and universities may seek out more domestic students willing to pay full tuition, meaning schools may not be as generous with their financial aid packages.

        Colleges Prepare For Sharp Drop In Chinese Students. The Wall Street Journal (7/7, Korn, Subscription Publication) reports US colleges are preparing for a steep drop in international students – particularly from China – due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions, visa-processing delays, and Monday’s ICE announcement blocking foreign students from taking online-only courses while residing in the US. Notably, Chinese students account for nearly $15 billion of the $44.7 billion that foreign students spend in the US on tuition and other higher ed costs.

College Board AP Exams and IB Exams

Last week, many students were not successful in submitting their at-home, online AP Exams.

Consequently, College Board is addressing the issue with an alternative submission method - BUT ONLY FOR THOSE EXAMS THE WEEK OF THE 18th. See the Washington Post article

For IB Exams, all have been cancelled, and students will receive credit based on the following:

The IB has put into place the following actions:

• The DP and CP examinations scheduled between 30 April and 22 May will no longer be held.

  

• The student will be awarded either the Diploma, Career-related Programme certificate or a course certificate which reflects their standard of work. The achievement will be based around the students’ coursework and the established assessment expertise, rigor and quality control already built into the programmes.

For more on IB - see Covid 19 updates as of May 15th

Talking Points for Parents with College-bound Children

Addressing Financial and Health Issues

- Power of Attorney - gives parents the right to sign documents, pay bills, oversee financial accounts, etc., in case the child cannot take care of these items for some reason.

- Health Care Proxy - gives parents the right to make decisions for the child in cases of emergency. Whoever is appointed the proxy should be identified on a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, form to give medical professionals permission to share information about their patient. If your child is attending college out-of-state, check in with your health care provider. Medical directives are also specific to the state in which your child will be attending college.

- Living Will - states your child’s wishes regarding the extent of life-extending medical treatment that they would want to receive in case they are incapacitated, as well as their interests in donating organs. A will is especially important for families that have invested in estate planning techniques aimed at passing wealth down through the generations, because the adult child's assets will go back up to parents if nothing is in writing to stipulate otherwise.

- The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is when a student turns 18 years old or enters a postsecondary institution at any age, then all rights afforded to you as a parent under FERPA transfer to the student ("eligible student").

However, FERPA provides ways in which a school may — but is not required to - share information from an eligible student's education records with parents, without the student's consent.

For example:

➢ Schools may disclose education records to parents if the student is claimed as a dependent for tax purposes. ➢ Schools may disclose education records to parents if a health or safety emergency involves their child. ➢ Schools may inform parents if the student, if he or she is under age 21, has violated any law or policy concerning the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance. ➢ A school official may generally share with a parent information that is based on that official's personal knowledge or observation of the student.

Miscellaneous Items for discussion:

➢ Traffic Tickets – sometimes even one ticket can impact insurance rates

➢ Parking Tickets – impounded cars incur costly fines!

➢ Rental Agreements / Security Deposits (Renter’s Insurance) / Co-signer’s Responsibilities

➢ Credit Card Debt / Bank Overdrafts

➢ ID Theft

➢ Property Theft such as expensive electronics and computers, jewelry

➢ Repaying student loads . . . is real, regardless of your situation. Be aware of what you are signing up for – see https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand/plans

➢ Upcoming changes with filing for aid

- FSD ID - https://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/051619AddEnhancementstheFSAID.html

-IRS plans to stop faxing and mailing 3rd party tax transcripts - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-takesadditional-steps-to-protect-taxpayer-data-plans-to-end-faxing-and-third-party-mailings-of-certain-taxtranscripts

Schools have better security than ever, but students are ultimately responsible for their own safety. Safety tips to discuss with your child include:

- Know your surroundings and trust your instincts - Keep campus safety phone numbers in your cell for emergencies - Lock your door. Don’t loan your key to friends. - Don’t accept drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) from others. Remember alcohol is the #1 date-rape drug - Students should let someone know where they are going, who they will be with, and when returning - Students should not prop doors open - Students should be careful about posting personal information and statuses on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites

- Safety first . . . Students should understand what steps upper classmen take to maintain their safety. Check out some of safety apps available for your phone such as Circle of 6, Guardly, bSafe, Panic Guard, MyForce, On Watch - Check the Education Department’s Campus Safety Resources - http://ope.ed.gov/campussafety/#/ - Students should understand their rights covering Sexual Harassment Protection and Due Process - http://clerycenter.org/policy-resources/the-clery-act/ - Students should educate themselves in regards to Hazing Awareness and Prevention - http://hazingprevention.org/

WELLNESS

– For more on emotional well-being and what to expect, see The Jed Foundation - http://transitionyear.org/.