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MUSC President Dr. Ray Greenberg reflects on 2010
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 Has
this year been what you hoped
for MUSC?
Frankly, this year has exceeded my expectations. I had hoped, first and
foremost, for stability as we continued to adjust to the new reality of
the state and national economies. As we look back, it is clear that we
did far better than hold our own; we moved forward on many fronts. The
simple fact of the matter is that, once again, our amazing faculty and
staff rose to meet the challenge.
What highlights
stand out for you?
At the risk of failing to mention many important achievements, some
definitely stand out in my mind. Raising a new record of
philanthropy during a time of such economic uncertainty was remarkable,
and allowed us to exceed our capital campaign goal by nearly 20 percent
a year ahead of schedule. As in the past, this year we set a record for
research funding again, not just for MUSC, but for all of the research
universities in the state. The colleges of Nursing, Dental Medicine and
Pharmacy sailed through accreditation visits and were uniformly praised
by their peer reviewers. We successfully recruited a new leader for the
College of Medicine and joined an elite group of medical schools led by
women.We also recruited a number of endowed chairs—people who will help
drive us to continued success in the future. A large and diverse group
of faculty and staff developed a five-year strategic plan that will
help to guide us into unchartered waters. Finally, we launched a
campaign with the brand, “Changing What’s Possible,” which I believe
speaks effectively to the role that we play in serving the people of
South Carolina.
What can we be
doing better?
We do so many things well, but at heart, we are a community of
perfectionists, and we always want to do better. We should be guided by
the emphasis areas in our strategic plan: encouraging entrepreneurial
activity, driving innovation and new technology, expanding our global
outreach, and working more effectively in interprofessional teams. As
we do these things, we need to tell our story better, so that we are no
longer “the best kept secret in South Carolina.”
What surprised you
this year?
In my job, surprises come every day, but the most pleasant surprise is
how time and time again, folks within the MUSC family step up. Everyone
on this campus is being asked to do more with fewer resources. We are
all pushed hard and stretched thin. Of course, I do hear some
complaints and, no doubt, there are many more that don’t come to my
attention. But more often than not, people have adapted to the “new
normal” and our expectations for success have not dimmed in the least.
Where do you see
us heading?
It is not enough for us to be leaders in the state, we need to be
leaders in the nation, and indeed, in the world. I am convinced that
despite the challenges that we face, MUSC will continue to emerge as a
model for other institutions. We need to build on the strengths of the
people who are here, while we continue to evolve in our culture and in
our expectations. The financial pressures ahead will be great, but we
must not let that impede our progress.
Friday, Dec. 24, 2010
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