Note: this letter to the editor was published in the March 13, 2021 edition of the Toledo Blade.
The University of Toledo board of trustees’ decision to name interim president Dr. Gregory Postel to the post permanently is welcome news.
For the last nine months, Dr. Postel has clearly proved to be much more than a caretaker president.
With his medical training and extensive experience in academic medicine, he has navigated the university though the coronavirus pandemic, put the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital, on the path to fiscal health, and oversees preparations for a comprehensive review of the university’s programs later this year by the Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission, an organization that accredits colleges and universities in Ohio and 18 other states. It is one of seven accrediting agencies in the country.
Particularly heartening was his decision not to sell or lease UTMC following strong support for the facility from area residents.
UTMC has demonstrated its vital role to the region during the coronavirus pandemic. Front-line physicians, nurses, and other health-care workers have treated coronavirus patients, putting themselves and their families at risk. The hospital’s rapid coronavirus testing capacities have been invaluable. Researchers such as Dr. Michael Ellis are directing NIH-sponsored clinical trials to better understand and treat medical issues created by the virus.
With new investments in staff, technology, and marketing and the partnership with the Toledo Clinic, UTMC seems to be getting its financial footing. Challenges lie ahead for the university post-pandemic, but for now there are plenty of reasons for optimism with Dr. Postel and Alfred Baker, chairman of the UT Board of Trustees, at the helm.
The mascot for the athletic teams at the College of Wooster, Dr. Postel’s undergraduate alma mater, is the “Fighting Scots,” a nod to the college’s Presbyterian heritage.
Dr. Postel might quibble with the characterization, but to my mind, he has been just that — a fighter for UT.
JIM WINKLER
Gainesville, Fla.
Editor’s note: The writer worked in several communication positions at MCO and UT for more than 30 years and is one of four editors of the book, “A Community of Scholars: Recollections of the Early Years of the Medical College of Ohio.”