Three years ago when I came to FAU, the football program was just getting started, while down in Miami, FIU’s law school program was being born. It seemed clear to me that FIU was more committed to academic excellence, although to be fair, their football program had just started up then too. So now that FIU has cornered the cheap, South Florida law school market, they’re trying to do the same thing with the medical school. But this time FAU isn’t lagging behind, they’re leading the race.

FAU announced in June that starting in the fall, 16 students from the University of Miami’s Medical School will be taking classes at FAU and working for Boca Raton Community Hospital. FAU, UM and BRCH are working together to give medical students clinical training for two years, with a plan to expand the medical program to four years. This leaves the door open for FAU to have its own medical school after four years of working with the oldest medical school in Florida.

FIU, for its part, is planning to build its own program from scratch. FIU Trustee Herbert Wertheim donated $10 million to the program, and if the money is matched by donors and then by the state ($40 million in all), FIU plans to have its program up and running by 2007.

But there are some more ifs in there. FIU has to have the program approved by the Board of Governors who nearly decided on a college FCAT (see my column in UP 30, May 6). Then of course, the state has to match the funds, which until recently have been rather lagging.

So we come to a crossroad between the two FUs. FAU is being far more practical about the medical school, allowing UM students to come to the Boca campus, take classes given by FAU and UM professors, and then leave the door open for a possibility. Basically, FAU is giving us the big maybe.

FIU on the other hand is acting ambitious, looking to give students a real option, price wise, in where they choose to go for med school. Or are they?

According to the Sun-Sentinel, construction for the med school would be about $40 million. Which means that “state funds, clinical fees, private funds and student tuition will be used for the expenses.” FIU would need to raise tuition to keep the med school running, which should casts doubts on whether FIU will be a cheaper alternative to med schools.

FAU on the other hand, hasn’t unveiled some great scheme to promise a med school. For the time being, the med talk is about working with UM and BRCH and see how that works.

Both FAU’s and FIU’s ventures are important. According to FIU, 80 percent of the new doctors in Florida come from outside the state. Add that to the fact that 42 percent of Florida’s doctors are 55 or older and in 20 years there’s going to be a major doctor shortage. FIU estimates that the national shortage will range from 80,000 to 90,000 doctors.

It’s clear that South Florida needs another med school – one that’s affordable. The problem is balance. The need for low-cost education can’t cheapen the knowledge that students will get in the classroom. Can it be done? I guess the best answer is with the big maybe.