Are you slipping? Are my comments affecting your stories?

Hint: It’s both.

Tank – hang on to your seat – next year’s gonna get ugly (if you are feeding upon the swill at the gub’mint trough).

Those of us that work for a living simply will say: IT’S ABOUT TIME YOU GUB’MINT TEET-SUCKERS START SACRIFICING LIKE THE REST OF AMERICA.

When are we going to get some real spending cuts? What makes the government (and government bureaucrats and employees and contractors) think that they shouldn’t have to participate in the RECESSION?

The underpinning of modern politics….steal the tax revenues and give it to enough friends to stay elected….. fails when you have no more money.

“There is no more money”… and the economy…a creature of Fed stimulus for the last 20 years …..is not coming back either.

Congrats Chellis on finding a back bone…not sure if it will save you politically…but it may help in the mirror.

December 14, 2009

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

As the holiday season approaches, we are reminded of the importance that families play in our lives. When most of us think of our family, we are inclined to think of loved ones at home. Of course, each of us also is part of a family here at the Medical University. It is in that spirit that I write to thank all members of the Medical University family for what you have accomplished, individually and collectively, this year. Without question, we, like so many others, faced a year of great challenge. As 2009 comes to a close, however, we have a far better sense of the strength of this institution and the dedication of the people who work here.
A year ago, it would have been bold to predict that within a few months our faculty would compete successfully for National Cancer Institute designation, a Clinical Translational Science Award, the largest award from the National Science Foundation ever to South Carolina and a record level of research funding. Later this week, we will join our partners, the City of Charleston and the South Carolina Research Authority in opening a research incubator that commercialize ideas generated at the Medical University and elsewhere, creating new jobs for the region.
This year, we opened a beautiful state-of-the-art clinical facility for the College of Dental Medicine, and new doctoral degree programs were launched in Nursing and Health Professions and the preclinical curriculum in the College of Medicine was completely revised. Considerable progress also has been made in promoting interprofessional education on campus. Our educational efforts are going global through initiatives in China, Singapore and India, and faculty members are developing outreach efforts in Ghana and Tanzania, among others.
Our hospitals are full to overflowing and less than two years after the opening of Ashley River Tower we are looking at ways to increase our capacity further. Through telemedicine, our specialists are providing mental health services to veterans in three states and our faculty members are providing consultations for stroke, high risk pregnancy, and soon trauma and sepsis to some of the most medically underserved parts of South Carolina. At the same time, our clinicians are winning national accolades for the quality of care delivered in rheumatology, digestive diseases, pulmonary medicine, nephrology, gynecology, otolaryngology, pediatric and adult heart disease, and stroke care. Measures of quality of care and patient satisfaction continue to place us among the leaders in academic medicine.
All of this progress comes at a time when we are acutely aware that many South Carolinians, including members of the MUSC family, continue to face challenges because of the struggling economy. Now is a time when we need to reach out to one another in appreciation and in the hope that together, we can build a brighter future for all of the people of our state. May the holiday season bring you and yours happiness and good health.

With best wishes,

Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D.
MUSC President