Communities Work to Get Medical College

Several communities in central Wisconsin are trying to lure a new satellite campus of the Medical College of Wisconsin. However, the leaders of those communities are talking about collaboration, and not competition.

The Medical College of Wisconsin is looking at sites in Marshfield, Mosinee, Stevens Point and Wausau for its new campus. In Stevens Point, Mayor Andrew Halverson is offering a soon to be vacated school building. Halverson said, “Our proposal includes the Mid State Technical College building itself, which would cover their initial needs.”

Wausau’s Mayor Jim Tipple points to location. “It’s centrally located like some other communities, and that’s one of the things that intrigued the Medical College.

Marshfield’s Mayor Chris Meyer points to the Marshfield Clinic and Ministry Health Care. “You know, of course, the advantage to Marshfield is health care. We’ve got some of the most advanced and biggest health care organizations right here in Marshfield.”

All three mayors, Andrew Halverson of Stevens Point, Jim Tipple of Wausau and Chris Meyer of Marshfield, say their communities are not competing; they are collaborating to lure the campus to central Wisconsin. They say it really does not matter where the school is located.

Halverson: “It really isn’t about a community specific proposal as much as it is Marshfield, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids working together.”

Tipple: “We’re really in concert and that’s why you’re hearing the same messages. What we don’t want to do is have one compete against the other.”

Meyer: “Not one community here has everything that they need. They really needed to come to the region. What’s important is that they’re in the right place to be successful.”

The Medical College of Wisconsin is expected to make a decision on a central Wisconsin location in November.