toledoblade.com --

The University of Toledo and Medical University of Ohio, two of the premier institutions in our part of the state, are planning a merger. Talk of a merger brings back painful memories from the not too distant past when both of these institutions and their compliant boards were led by delusional presidents down primrose paths to greatness and grandeur. The resultant crash was loud enough to be heard all over this town.

At the University of Toledo, Vik Kapoor had the grand idea of turning the institution into the crown jewel of Ohio. In the ensuing demolition derby on Bancroft Street, UT was reduced to a place of gross mismanagement, intrigue, conspiracy, paranoia, and vindictiveness. In an unprecedented move, the board fired him, but not before grievous injury had been inflicted on the institution. Under Dan Johnson the university was able to put that episode behind it.

The morale at the Medical University of Ohio similarly hit rock bottom when Dr. Roger Bone, a brilliant scientist in his own right, tried to sidestep his faculty and decided to merge the university hospital with Toledo Hospital to create a "world class institution." It blew up in his face. The incoming team of Frank McCullough and Amira Gohara had to pick up the pieces that were scattered all the way from Arlington Avenue to North Cove Boulevard.

Naturally, the current talk of merger causes confusion and concern among people on both campuses - confusion about the shape of the new entity and concern about the loss of jobs. To that end, the administrations on both campuses have been candid about the shape of things to come and reassuring that there will not be any immediate downsizing.

The ground realities, however, dictate that these two institutions would have to move out of the comfortable grooves they've been in to find ways to improve their standing in the academic world. A merger could ease the way toward that goal by making UT the third largest public university in Ohio (after Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati).

In a climate of plummeting state support for higher education, this clout would help. For the record, Ohio ranks a dismal 37th in its support of publicly funded higher education.

It has been said that UT and MUO have inherently different cultures and they would not mix even after a merger. I am a firm believer that whenever there is proximity, physical or otherwise, there is intellectual synergy and cross-pollination of concepts and ideas. There already is collaboration between UT's bio-engineering department and MUO's department of orthopedic surgery. Great potential exists for collaboration in the fields of biophysics and polymer science. The Polymer Institute at UT enjoys a national and international reputation and could be an immense help in finding new materials for repairing human bodies. One could also envision collaborative efforts between the medical school and other schools on the UT campus.

And there is a need for pre-med and medical students to benefit from the array of courses in the humanities and the arts. A relentless emphasis on a pure science curriculum in pre-med is producing physicians who have very little insight into anything but medicine.

Last week Dr. Lloyd Jacobs, president-designate of the proposed entity, met with UT faculty and employees. He was candid and forthright in answering their questions, saying he supports the rights of unions on campus, medical benefits for domestic partners, and affirmative action. He stressed that this is not a takeover by MUO, but a merger of equals. He said that there would be no layoffs and that it would take at least five years to see financial and other benefits.

Dr. Jacobs came to MUO two years ago from the University of Michigan. Since then he has conducted himself with self assured dignity, a tenacity of purpose, and an open-door policy. Given his down-to-earth demeanor, the strength of his convictions, and his solid track record, he is, perhaps, best suited to lead the combined entity, which will retain the name University of Toledo.

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