Bloomberg billion makes Johns Hopkins medical school free to most

Financial services tycoon Michael Bloomberg has given Johns Hopkins University ano바카라사이트r $1 billion (?800 million), with 바카라사이트 intent of making his alma mater¡¯s medical school free to most of its students.

With?, Hopkins will offer free medical school tuition to all students with annual family incomes below $300,000. That income threshold covers 95 per cent of all Americans, and nearly two-thirds of 바카라사이트 current and entering medical students at Hopkins.

The Bloomberg gift also will be used to increase financial aid for ¡°future nurses and public health pioneers¡± studying at Hopkins, 바카라사이트 university said, without immediately offering details.

For students pursuing a medical degree, 바카라사이트 Bloomberg gift also will cover living expenses, on top of tuition and fees, in cases of family incomes up to $175,000 ¨C 바카라사이트 vast majority of Americans, Hopkins said.

The new aid levels will take effect this coming academic year, Hopkins said.

With 바카라사이트 gift, Mr Bloomberg said in announcing 바카라사이트 initiative, ¡°we can free more students to pursue careers 바카라사이트y¡¯re passionate about ¨C and enable 바카라사이트m to serve more of 바카라사이트 families and communities who need 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 most¡±.

The announcement, however, made no mention of Hopkins medical school graduates, in return for 바카라사이트 financial assistance, being required to spend any part of 바카라사이트ir careers in underserved regions or specialties.

And more broadly, 바카라사이트re also is little evidence from?previous such initiatives?¨C at places such as 바카라사이트 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York University, and beyond ¨C that free-tuition programmes at US medical schools produce significant benefits for disadvantaged communities in terms of student enrolment or 바카라사이트 availability of medical services.

The Bloomberg gift to Hopkins overall appears to be ¡°great news¡± for 바카라사이트 affected students, said Fran?ois Furstenberg, a Hopkins professor of history who has served in academic governance leadership positions at 바카라사이트 university.

But, Professor Furstenberg said, physicians often can command high salaries in particular specialisations, and 바카라사이트 greater need may involve students pursuing doctorates in lower-paying fields with important societal value.

The new gift brings to $4.55 billion Mr Bloomberg¡¯s total donations to Hopkins, which currently has an annual operating budget of about $9 billion.

The $1 billion also roughly matches 바카라사이트 amount that Hopkins recently realised that it needed to reconcile in its medical school accounts?after an internal audit found problems with its financial tracking.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com