RAHN

Med center key to Univ.

Regents look at expansion

By: BRIAN MINK

Posted: 3/20/08

Transition of the former Navy Supply Corps School property into a medical education facility remains a top priority, Medical College of Georgia President Dr. Daniel Rahn said Wednesday.

In an update to the Board of Regents, Rahn said development of an initial facility to house the first medical students - which the University has already secured - is also a priority, as is obtaining the money to make the expansion possible.

"The magnitude of the challenge and the scope of the proposed expansion are daunting and require simultaneous effort on multiple fronts," Rahn said, according to a transcript of his update to the Regents. "The plan requires significant capital investment and operational funding - and, once we begin, we must be prepared to sustain that investment."

In his 2009 budget, Gov. Sonny Perdue included $7.2 million for the expansion, the amount requested by MCG and the University, Rahn said. By the end of the legislative session, politicians may approve that figure, he said.

Aside from securing funds, the two schools must reach agreements regarding the partnership, he said.

Included in these agreements will be a memorandum of understanding between the University System, MCG and the University.

This memorandum "will be a critical step forward in clarifying responsibilities and accountabilities associated with the development of a medical school campus in Athens," Rahn said.

Rahn said he will deliver biweekly updates to the regents regarding the logistics of the medical school expansion.

"As the medical education expansion process continues, we must bear in mind that we will ultimately have to demonstrate to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education that we have the capacity to provide high quality education to the proposed increased number of medical students," he said.

Rahn said the liaison committee has 125 standards that must be met for the Athens site to receive accreditation. Those standards include creating a curriculum that prepares students for work as physicians as well as a process for ensuring diversity at the college.

Regents voted to expand MCG to Athens in January. The board agreed to expand campuses in Savannah, Albany and Augusta as well.

The first classes are scheduled for 2009 or 2010 on a historic mill property in downtown Athens. Those courses are expected to move to the former Navy Supply Corps site by 2012 or 2013.

If the plan is implemented, MCG could expand to 1,200 students by 2020. MCG enrolls 745 students.