Breaking the Mold by Myra Hurt | Page 9

Dean Ocie Harris speaks at the College of Medicine groundbreaking, 2003. (College of Medicine photo archive) PREFACE This book is for anyone interested in the creation of the College of Medicine at Florida State University. That includes the students, staff and faculty who lived through its creation – and who, in some cases, provided information for this book. It’s also for those who might be involved in creating a new educational enterprise themselves. Because that’s not an undertaking for the faint of heart. It succeeded for us only because we had exactly the right people in the right places at the right time. State Rep. Durell Peaden wrote the mission-based bill that was passed into law by the Florida Legislature – with the guidance of House Speaker John Thrasher, now president of Florida State. Durell’s bill included all our minority initiatives Breaking the Mold | 7