Sent of behalf of Jim Izard, Member, Board of Visitors & Chair, EVMS Due Diligence Task Force

We have accomplished a great deal in a brief period of time in our diligent research of a potential merger, or a closer affiliation, with The College of William & Mary. Our efforts have focused primarily on the development of joint program plans that could add significant value to EVMS, The College of William & Mary, to our communities, and to the Commonwealth.

Our deliberations have been purposeful and transparent. We have exposed exciting new opportunities, as well as risks, which will need to be investigated further before any decisions are made. Recognizing the importance of the upcoming LCME review we have decided to give the committee members the necessary time to focus on final preparations to make these successful meetings. Therefore, the task force meeting scheduled for this week was not held.

Since our last communication we have begun to move forward on two primary fronts: plans are being made for an initial discussion among a small group of Board members of EVMS and W&M to explore the feasibility of an organizational model. EVMS and W&M have agreed to retain Dr. Jordan Cohen, former President of the AAMC and occasional consultant to EVMS, to work with the faculty of both institutions to develop the value proposition of 3-5 significant programs that will constitute the growth opportunities that we can pursue. This value proposition is an important component of the effort to build a persuasive argument that a closer affiliation will, in fact, provide substantial benefit to EVMS, W&M, our region and the state.

Although we considered several other consultants, Dr. Cohen seems the best choice to help us develop this value proposition. His efforts will include meeting with the many EVMS stakeholders to gain a broad understanding of their perspectives on this exciting project. Should we need additional help working through the more traditional due diligence questions, we will undoubtedly engage other legal and consulting firms with broader staff capabilities.
 
Again, I sincerely appreciate the discussions that we have had so far and the task force members' willingness to spend their valuable time to approach this matter deliberately and with a view to the best possible outcome for both institutions and for the Commonwealth. As always, we will keep you apprised of our progress via e-mail and our website (http://www.evms.edu/wm)