THE CDU ADVANTAGE IN BRIEF
By Dr. Steve O. Michael
The following statement by CDU Provost Dr. Steve Michael, who the coined the term and principally developed the CDU Advantage concept, describes in brief the guiding principles of the University’ s mission. It is presented here to continue the discussion of the University’ s role as a 21st- Century leader in innovative community health care education and training strategies.
THE 2015-2020 STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS ELICITED DEEP CONVERSATIONS AMONG INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS. Of particular interest to the planning team was an answer to what makes Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science( CDU) different. As we deliberated over this matter for an extended period of time, we concluded that CDU’ s differentiator should be defined by a curricular experience.
Provost Michael noted to the Planning Team that some institutions make the mistake of defining their niches on the bases of ephemeral attributes that are tangentially related to their missions.“ A niche that is mission centric is not only enduring but also galvanizing,” he said. Reflecting the direction of the University, the leadership of the President, and working with the Senate, deans, Senate’ s Program and Assessment Committee, Academic Program Review and Accreditation Committee, faculty and academic program directors, Provost Michael proposed a CDU Advantage that encapsulates the central tenets of the CDU mission.
The CDU Advantage, described as“ a curricular experience that differentiates CDU education from others,” is based on a group of FIVE carefully thought out elements( with curricular rationales) that are central to the mission of the University:
• Research Experience( empirical approaches and data that are critical to health sciences and to mitigating health disparities);
• Social Justice and diversity( the centrality of health equity to social justice and the criticality of diverse health professionals to societal health and wellness);
• Global Experience( universalization of health sciences and cultivating and undertaking transnational health agenda);
• Community Engagement( adopting and ensuring bidirectional relationships with spatial and temporal communities on health issues); and
• Health Policy( understanding socio-politico-economic dynamics that underline all disparities and cultivating leaders to address them).
These central tenets, woven throughout the educational fabrics of CDU, produce diverse health professional leaders equipped for their lifelong calling as health leaders, advocates, and activists. Implementation of the CDU Advantage is reflected in course content, faculty research, and extra-curricular activities.
CDU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | PG. 08