Dear Readers,
When Dr. Frank Rumph applied to the Medical
College of Georgia School of Medicine in 1969, he considered the
gesture such a long shot that he almost hadn’t bothered.
When Dr. Joseph Hobbs did the same thing a
year later, an MCG admissions director showed up almost
immediately on his doorstep to offer a personal invitation.
Both men’s stories, and that of other
minorities on campus, are profiled in this edition of MCG Today.
Drs. Rumph’s and Hobbs’ stories offer striking extremes—the
difference the civil rights movement made in access to higher
education, among many other facets in life. But a diversity
roundtable featured in this edition of the magazine illustrates
that whether their experiences are extreme or subtle, each
minority on campus has a story to tell.
The overwhelming consensus is that the MCG
campus is a welcoming place to be, regardless of ethnicity,
gender or socioeconomic background. But the roundtable
participants agreed that improvement should be an ongoing goal,
and they offer specific ideas about how to achieve it. We hope
you enjoy reading about their insights and personal experiences.
Along with diversity, another predominant
theme in this edition of the magazine is synergy. Biomedical
science has yielded countless lifesaving and life-enhancing
advances. But what happens when you pair the field with
disciplines such as informatics and engineering? The answers are
downright mind-blowing, as articles on mouse models and
nanomedicine illustrate.
Be sure to check out the activities
scheduled for Homecoming 2007 in this edition of the magazine. A
visit to campus will give you a chance to check out these and
other spectacular MCG achievements for yourself, all while
enjoying the vibrant blossoms and blooms that signal springtime
in Augusta.
–Editor