For press information, contact Curt Guenther, 901/678-2843

As president of the University of Memphis, and as a member of the board of the Memphis Research Consortium, I am very pleased that Gov. Bredesen has recognized the value of the University of Memphis, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and the many medical and business entities in Memphis that contribute to the advancement of research and its applications to create jobs and prosperity for Memphis, Tennessee and the nation.

I met today with members of the Consortium, and we want to express our appreciation to Governor Bredesen and members of the General Assembly for their support.  We fully understand the magnitude of the challenge he has given us; but, as he indicated, the partners in the Consortium have already begun working – in fact, we have been working longer than many people may realize – to meet those challenges and to, as the Governor expressed it, ‘bring our long-simmering effort to a boil.’

The Memphis Research Consortium finds itself in a unique position.  We are tasked, during a time of significant economic uncertainty in our nation, with improving the educational and economic opportunities for tens of thousands of Tennesseans and Mid-Southerners via our research initiatives and the business applications they may have.  But, despite current circumstances, that goal is exactly what the U of M and UTHSC and the Memphis Research Consortium set out at the beginning.  We are confident that with the collective strengths of the University of Memphis, UT Health Science Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, FedEx Corporation, the Memphis Bioworks Foundation, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System, Wright Medical Technology, Smith & Nephew, and Medtronic Sofamor Danek we will reach and exceed these goals, especially now that we have the full backing of the Governor’s Office and the State of Tennessee.