ATHENS, Ga. --- Classes almost surely won't begin on a new Athens medical school campus in 2009, as planners hoped -- but those planners are voicing few regrets about the yearlong delay.
"That's probably not a bad thing," said Athens Regional Medical Center CEO Jack Drew, one of dozens of people in Athens and Augusta working to build a medical school campus in Athens to remedy a shortage of doctors in the state.
Planning for the school entered a new phase last week as dean candidates began visiting Athens and a national accrediting agency approved preliminary plans for the campus.
The agency, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, is expected to come to Athens in spring 2009 for an inspection.
"There has to be evidence of a lot of progress made by the time they come in to talk to people," said Douglas Miller, the dean of the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine.
The broad plan adopted by the state Board of Regents includes simple elements: The Athens school must have buildings with rooms equipped to teach medical students, a curriculum or course of study, and teachers and administrators.
Medical campus planners also are counting on area hospitals to become part of graduate medical education after formal medical school, when doctors learn by working in hospitals or medical practices for three years or more.
Officials at UGA and MCG say they are on track to have buildings and classrooms ready by 2010, if not sooner, and to hire faculty and administrators for the new campus.
A renovated mill should be ready for medical school accreditors to inspect by spring, said UGA Architect Danny Sniff. Workers this month are removing much of the guts of the historic mill.
The medical campus will move to the Supply Corps School when the U.S. Navy vacates it in 2011.
Transforming the campus by 2015 will cost an estimated $41 million, according to a report by consultant firm Tripp Umbach.
When the campus opens, 40 students will join the first class, according to the firm's blueprint for the school, but that number will grow to 60 by 2012.
Dr. Miller said he hopes to see a campus dean begin work no later than the spring.
Comments
Let's see besides the cost of renovating the old building, it will cost 41 million to transform the Naval School into a medical school. Now all this will pale next to what the salaries for faculity, adminitrators and support staff will cost. If anyone things building a second medical school over expanding MCG Augusta is cost effective I will remind you calculators only cost a few bucks at Wal-mart these days.
How would Riverman's logic work in other areas of education? How would we achieve total centralization of the state-supported college education system? Have ALL engineers come from Georgia Tech. Have ALL teachers come from Georgia Southern. Have ALL political scientists come from Georgia State. Have ALL agriculturists come from UGA. Have ALL english majors come from Valdosta State. Have ALL business majors come from Milledgeville. Have all military officers come from North Georgia College (& SU). Have all computer scientists come from Collumbus College (& SU). Have all biologists come from Augusta State University. Have all physicists come from Kennesaw State University. Have all music majors come from West Georgia. Have all history majors come from Albany State. Centralization and specialization. Isn't it great?!
I have a question. Does this mean the MCG will be leaving Augusta for good? If so this will mean a large job loss for Augusta.
MCG will never leave augusta. They have just recently built about 3 or 4 new buildings. And gilbert manor is being tore down. For two more medical schools.
Little Lamb, the logic is a little different when you are talking about approximately 40 students to start and 60 at full speed. Now get that calculator and tell me how much that is per student.
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