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<p>SCRANTON &#8212; Over 100 people gathered on Monday at the The Commonwealth Medical College for the second annual State of the College address.</p><p>Steve Scheinman, president and dean, said with the school having admitted its first student relatively recently, in 2009, any event in its second year was &#8220;already a tradition.&#8221;</p><p>Steven Gan, Honesdale, a second-year student, said he was attending the event to get a better perspective on the school as a whole.</p><p>&#8220;The school has been so good to me and I want to truly understand it from top to bottom,&#8221; said Gan, who hopes to practice in the areas of pediatrics, oncology and hematology.</p><p>Scheinman, thanking faculty, staff and benefactors who supported a vision of growth and service, said he was especially honored to acknowledge Michael Altier, a founding supporter of the college who recently celebrated his 100th birthday.</p><p>&#8220;I want to recognize especially those in the audience that are the reason we are here: the students,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Scheinman stressed the importance of both tradition and innovation in developing a curriculum that includes research, clinical experience and commitment to community.</p><p>He referenced the college&#8217;s recent full accreditation in June 2014 by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, as &#8220;a significant milestone, but not the ultimate goal.&#8221;</p><p>Instead, he cited the college&#8217;s mission statement, which he said most of the students knew by heart, emphasizing service to society, using a community-based, patient-centered model, with a commitment to inclusion, discovery and innovative techniques.</p><p>Scheinman, looking toward the future, said the Behavioral Health Initiative is anticipated to address issues such as mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention.</p><p>&#8220;This initiative,&#8221; has said, &#8220;has generated a great deal of enthusiasm and hope.&#8221;</p><p>He said that initiative was moving forward in collaboration with the Luzerne Foundation, the Wright Center, Community Care Behavioral Health and other agencies and community partners represented on the school&#8217;s Advisory Committee, which is now up to a membership of over 80 people.</p><p>&#8220;We have often noted that our mission to improve community health can only be realized in collaboration with community partners,&#8221; he said.</p><p>He called the school plans &#8220;ambitious and exciting,&#8221; with staff and faculty working in close relationship and sharing a common vision.</p><p>&#8220;I have been continually amazed by the sense of community, our collective and individual sense of ownership of the college and in particular our commitment to student success,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It is one of our unique strengths and the biggest reason why I am so honored to be a part of this team.</p><p>Scheinman said strategic planning for the next stage of the college&#8217;s growth would be rigorous, comprehensive and inclusive, engaging representatives of all groups within the college.</p><p>Smiling, he also promised that &#8220;it will be fun.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It is with a sense of excitement and continued commitment to the mission of this extraordinary school that I invite you all to join us in expressing a vision and developing a strategy for the second phase of our growth,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">President and Dean Steven J. Scheinman, M.D., delivers the annual State of the College address at The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton on Monday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL110315MedicalCollege_11.jpg</photo0><caption0>President and Dean Steven J. Scheinman, M.D., delivers the annual State of the College address at The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton on Monday afternoon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL110315MedicalCollege_21.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Students, faculty, administration and board members were among those attending the annual State of the College address at The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton on Monday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL110315MedicalCollege_21.jpg</photo1><caption1>Students, faculty, administration and board members were among those attending the annual State of the College address at The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton on Monday afternoon. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Dean touts accreditation, tradition, innovation</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Accreditation, tradition, innovation stressed at TCMC’s State of the College address