Want a job in the health care industry? Cornerstone University’s Professional & Graduate Studies (PGS) might add a health care program to its lineup.

On March 27, Dean of Business Programs Sandra Upton and Adjunct Professor of Business Chad Tuttle of PGS co-chaired the Health Care Focus Group to explore the possibility of creating a health care program in response to the upswing of the industry in West Michigan.

“A lot has been happening in the area. Michigan State is moving its entire medical school to Grand Rapids, and of course, there’s the ‘medical mile’ downtown,” Upton said. “It’s a changing landscape, and we want to know what role Cornerstone University can play in that.”

“We’re looking to identify unaddressed needs [in the health care industry],” Tuttle said.

“The idea was introduced by Robert Simpson, associate provost in the PGS division,” Upton said.

“Ten medical professionals, including several adjunct professors, met in the Gainey Conference Center with Upton and Tuttle to hold a round table discussion about whether PGS should have a medical program and what form that would take,” Upton said.

Participants included mid- to upper-level leaders in organizations such as Spectrum Health, Porter Hills and community groups, as well as medical practitioners.

“This is the first step in evaluating whether PGS should have a health care program,” Upton said. “Who better to ask than those who are in the field?”

Tuttle said he was looking forward to the meeting.

“Not many schools go to the length to ask professionals what they think,” Tuttle said. “They have the attitude that ‘we know education and how to educate.’”

In addition to his work as an adjunct professor at PGS, Tuttle is also the executive director at Sunset Association, a Christian retirement community company.

“Future steps will be determined based on the feedback we receive from the group. If a need is determined and it fits with our mission, we will seriously consider moving forward,” Upton said.

PGS currently offers both undergraduate and graduate programs geared for working adults who want to improve their job skills and professional knowledge.

At the undergraduate level, they offer associate degrees in business studies and human services, as well as bachelor’s degrees in business administration, management and ministry leadership. For graduates, they offer master’s degrees in business administration, management, education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).