How GU prepared me for my career(s) and other reflections from Mark Rose '76

Published: November 16, 2022

Author: Mark Rose

Hi, I’m Mark Rose. I was a biology and chemistry major and graduated in 1976 from Greenville University (then College) as a pre-med student. I’m from North Canton, Ohio, and just retired in July after 23 years as the chief legal officer at a hospital system in northeast Ohio.

The following is an excerpt of my remarks to the GU Science Advisory Council during Homecoming weekend in October 2022.

What Greenville means to me

George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying “Youth is the most beautiful thing in this world-and what a pity that it has to be wasted on the young!” This is frequently shortened to “Youth is wasted on the young.” Some note there is a bit of wistfulness, wisdom, and a touch of jealousy in that quote.

As I grow older-and particularly as I return to GU once or twice a year for the science advisory council meeting, as well as the alumni board meeting-it is hard not to be wistful about my college years here because of:

• The friends I made and the warmth I can still feel when I visit;
• The outstanding professors I had;
• The dorms and house I lived in;
• The bits of pure sodium that we threw into cans of water in general chemistry, while Prof. Richards was not in sight, to create a small explosion;
• The planaria and paramecia I saw under the microscope in biology;
• The impossibility of getting a good grasp on physical chemistry; (ok, I am NOT really wistful about that!);
• The occasional classes I skipped (and then obsessed about missing and asked classmates for their notes to make up for the class work, not to mention my anxiety);
• The chapels I missed (and even some of the ones I attended, particularly with Bishop-to-be Donald Bastian, who was an amazing teacher and preacher);
• And even my visit to see Mr. Delbert Catron (then Dean of Students) for having been tattled on for dancing in violation of campus rules!

While it’s true, in life, that we frequently look back on our lives or portions of them and say, “If I only knew then what I know now,” I think perhaps there’s some fallacy in that thinking. When I was in college, I was far from ready to know what I know now! I needed to learn what I learned then (including academic, personal, and spiritual learning). We can’t understand how algebraic equations work until we first learn how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. And most of us cannot fully trust our lives to Jesus until we have learned first how to trust Him in smaller things. And of course, this is also usually true of our relationships with friends.

So in this sense, I’d criticize Shaw’s statement, because while I understand his sentiment, I think that youth is NOT wasted on the young. Youth is spent laying the groundwork for the learning that life affords us. And Greenville was the perfect place and that age was the perfect time for me to start building Mark Rose’s adult and professional life; developing Mark Rose’s world view; and exploring Mark Rose’s spirituality.

Sharing reflections on my experience with current students

Mark in college

As for the bit of jealousy in Shaw’s statement, I can see where he’s coming from. However, for me, rather than jealousy, I sometimes have the urge to shake some of you who are currently students here and tell you not to waste a moment of your time.

• Find out who you are. There is no better place or time to do so.
• Start (or continue) to find out how Jesus fits into your life, because if you think He doesn’t right now, He will eventually(!), and GU hopes that will be during this life you have been given.
• Be willing to make mistakes. Embrace the wisdom that comes from making them.
• BE who you are. If others don’t like it, it’s better to know that now rather than after investing tons of time in a relationship that’s destined to go nowhere.
• Find out what professional endeavor makes you happy. Being happy doing what you do is worth a TON of money.
• Be honest with yourself about everything. That’s very hard to do, but the sooner you learn to do it, the better off you’ll be.

When my son (now 24 years old) was set to go off to college, I told him that college was an amazing adventure; a coming of age; a wonderful time. I told him that in my opinion, MORE than half of what he was going to learn over the next four years would have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with his classes or textbooks, and EVERYTHING to do with the rest of his life . . . and beyond. Though I went on to earn a couple graduate degrees (more on that later), there was never another experience like Greenville College. Life would never be the same after attending this place.

How Greenville prepared me for my career(s)

From 8th grade on, I wanted to become a doctor. The notion never left me, and when I was admitted to Greenville College, I started out-and finished-as pre-med. I was accepted into the University of Michigan Medical School and when I graduated from medical school, I entered a surgery residency which I completed after five years. Thanks to my Greenville education and record, I felt well-prepared to get into a well-known and high-quality medical school.

But wait, there’s more!

During my general surgical residency, I realized that while I liked surgery a lot, I was concerned that the practice of medicine was changing in the United States in ways I didn’t like, and I doubted I had the passion to be a surgeon long term due to the time commitment and physical demands. Fearing that if I burned out I wouldn’t be able to escape and take on another profession, I started wondering what else I could do and not throw away all my medical school and surgical training. The thought came to me that maybe I could finish my surgical residency, practice for a few years, and then become a lawyer defending doctors and nurses and hospitals in malpractice lawsuits. Who better to represent healthcare providers than one who was a healthcare provider-turned-lawyer-one who personally knew what they were going through and could speak their language?

After my residency was completed and I did three more years of trauma surgery and emergency medicine practice, I took the law school admissions test and was accepted into several law schools, including my medical school alma mater, the University of Michigan. I returned to Ann Arbor and finished law school in 1992. Again, my Greenville education prepared me well to get accepted to Michigan (I also got into Cornell and the University of Virginia law schools).

Why I continue to support GU and the sciences

I believe in Christian higher education, and even more so now that secular universities have continued to become increasingly hostile to Christianity and organized religion in general. Christian higher education is something I believe is endangered and threatened in our country at this time. I cannot stand by and not do my part to support Greenville and its science programs. Why science? Because that is what I know!

Christian higher education is in a position to change the world and support Christ’s kingdom in ways that secular universities cannot. Other colleges and universities may focus on impacting the world in terms of scientific discovery, but they have no aptitude for impacting the world in terms of eternal matters, nor do they even aspire to do so. Greenville University can do both and I’m doing what I can to help in those endeavors.

The GU Science Advisory Council oversees and supports an endowment that has been established for the Division of the Sciences.

The advisory council values the collective support of those who have committed to be a part of it. Three council connections are provided each year-usually through a Zoom invitation and an agenda is provided for the discussion. Council members represent various decades of attendance at Greenville University and provide leadership to be ambassadors for the great work that is occurring in the sciences at GU.