| MCG
Chronological Highlights |
| 1828 |
Medical Academy of
Georgia chartered by state of Georgia with plans to offer single course of lectures
leading to bachelor's degree. Classes held in City Hospital. |
| 1829 |
Name changed to Medical
Institute of Georgia; empowered to confer Doctor of Medicine degree. |
| 1833 |
First MD degree
conferred on four graduates. School conducted by six faculty in rooms in the City
Hospital. Name changed to Medical College of Georgia. |
| 1834 |
MCG faculty began
campaign, leading to conventions in 1846 and 1847, urging medical schools throughout the
nation to cooperate in uniform entrance requirements and longer sessions. |
| 1835 |
School moved into
Medical College building on Telfair Street. |
| 1846-47 |
Conventions of
representatives of medical schools were held to discuss higher standards of medical
education. These meetings resulted in the formation of the American Medical Society, which
became the American Medical Association. |
| 1861-1865 |
School closed during the
War Between the States. |
| 1865 |
School reopened with 47
students. Outpatient clinic became a part of teaching program. |
| 1873 |
Agreement made for
affiliation with the University of Georgia, though separate governance and financing were
maintained. Name changed to Medical Department of the University of Georgia. |
| 1893 |
Requirements changed to
three annual sessions of six months each. |
| 1900 |
Fourth year made
requirement for degree. First two years devoted to basic sciences, with clinical sciences
emphasized in last two years. |
| 1907 |
Medical Department
received Class A (the highest) designation from the AMA Council for Medical Education. |
| 1910 |
Flexner Report on
Medical Education in the United States released, with adverse report on MCG.
Inadequate financial support and tenuous affiliation with the University of Georgia led
Flexner to recommend that the school be closed or moved to Athens. |
| 1911 |
True affiliation with
the University of Georgia effected. University took control of property under single board
of trustees and academic program came under University direction. |
| 1913 |
School moved from
Telfair Street to the Newton Building, a single academic building that
was a renovated orphanage. Located on 13th Street. |
| 1915 |
University Hospital was
built by the city of Augusta to replace Lamar and City Hospitals as the teaching hospital
for the school. |
| 1928 |
Centennial Celebration. |
| 1932 |
University System of Georgia Board of Regents established. |
| 1933 |
Financial crisis of the
Depression led to a Board of Regents decision to close the medical school. Protests of
graduates, citizens of Augusta and throughout the state, together with support from
Governor Eugene Talmadge, reversed the decision. Name changed to University of Georgia
School of Medicine. |
| 1934 |
AMA removed school from
Class A list and recommended it be dropped from membership. Under leadership of a new
dean, Dr. G. Lombard Kelly, a massive program was undertaken to correct deficiencies. |
| 1936 |
Class A rating
provisionally restored by AMA (fully restored the next year). Entrance requirements raised
to three years of college pre-medical training. |
| 1937 |
1st
freestanding MCG Bldg. since 1835; the Dugas Bldg., (a classroom bldg.)
opened. |
| 1939 |
The
Murphey Bldg. (a classroom bldg.) opened. |
| 1942 |
Accelerated program to
graduate classes every nine months. All students were subject to military training and
service following graduation. |
| 1950 |
Medical school became
independent institution in the University System and reverted to its earlier name, Medical
College of Georgia. |
| 1954 |
First full-time
appointments of faculty in the clinical sciences.
Kelly Administration
Bldg. opened and occupied. |
| 1956 |
Eugene Talmadge Memorial
Hospital opened as the teaching facility for MCG. School of Nursing program moved from the
University of Georgia at Athens to MCG. |
| 1963 |
First
offering of PhD in biomedical science fields.
1st Freestanding MCG library opened and occupied. |
| 1965 |
The Board of Regents approves the establishment of the School of
Dentistry and the School of Graduate Studies. |
| 1967 |
Student
Center opened. |
| 1968 |
School of Allied Health
Sciences approved with departments of Medical Illustration, Medical Technology, Medical
Records Science, Radiologic Technology, and Dental Hygiene.
Village
apartments (student housing) opened. |
| 1969 |
First dental students
accepted. |
| 1970 |
Sanders
Research and Education Bldg. opened. |
| 1973 |
Medical College of
Georgia first accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Interim plan
of faculty governance first adopted by the MCG faculty. |
| 1974 |
Plan of Organization
adopted by the MCG faculty. |
| 1978 |
Celebration of
Sesquicentennial, 150 years of history and achievements. |
| 1979 |
MCG accreditation
reaffirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. MCG Statutes approved by
Board of Regents. |
| 1981 |
Georgia
Radiation Therapy center opened. |
| 1984 |
To more accurately
identify clinical facilities, including the many clinics and the Sydenstricker and
Talmadge buildings of the hospital, MCG began using the name "Medical College of
Georgia Hospital and Clinics." |
| 1991 |
MCG received
reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. |
| 1992 |
MCG Hospital and Clinics
expanded to include the Ambulatory Care Center/Specialized Care Center, consolidating
outpatient and critical-care services. |
| 1993 |
MCG received Board of
Regents approval to offer first external degree program utilizing distance learning
technology, a baccalaureate degree in Medical Technology. |
| 1995 |
MCG Hospital and Clinics
accreditation reaffirmed by Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations.
Interdisciplinary Research Center opened. |
| 1998 |
The Children's Medical
Center opened. |
| 2000 |
MCG
Health Inc., a not for profit corporation, assumed management of MCG's
clinical facilities. |
History