August 2010 Issue

First Day of Classes of the MCG/UGA Partnership Marked by Dedication of Building

Monday, August 9, marked the first day of classes for the inaugural class of the Medical College of Georgia on the campus of the University of Georgia. The first day of classes was celebrated with a dedication of the Interim MGC/UGA Partnership Building.

Governor Sonny Perdue was the keynote speaker at the event. “This was a pretty clear decision for me when you look at the per capita number of doctors (in Georgia),” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “The fact is that we were importing medical talent not only from around the nation, but from around the world, to serve our citizens in Georgia. And while we love that people like to come to our state, we felt like we needed to grow more of our own.”

On February 13, 2008, the Board of Regents approved a resolution that commits the System to a 60 percent expansion of physician education through the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) School of Medicine. The board’s action follows an earlier acceptance of a report calling for medical education expansion in Georgia.

Through the resolution, the Board of Regents charged the System chancellor and the presidents of both the MCG and the UGA to develop detailed implementations strategies relating to a proposal to boost MCG’s physician enrollment statewide to 1,200 students by 2020, from 745 students currently.

There are 40 MCG students in the inaugural class at UGA. They will study basic science and clinical skills like the students on the MCG campus in Augusta.

Chancellor Erroll Davis praised the Governor and the general assembly for their efforts in making the day possible. “It’s important to note that they did this in the midst of this economic downturn,” Davis said. “Their commitment expanding medical education and providing more doctors for the people of the state has not wavered.”

The newly dedicated facility will be the home of the program until the 2012 opening of a 58-acre campus currently occupied by the Navy Supply Corps School. The new UGA Health Sciences Campus will house the UGA College of Public Health and other health-related programs.