The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved a memorandum of understanding Feb. 10 that formalizes the partnership recently formed between the Medical College of Georgia and the University of Georgia to expand medical education into Athens.
“It is critical for everyone involved in this enterprise to be on the same page, to know who is doing what and to have a formal, agreed-upon process for moving forward to increase the number of physicians prepared by MCG,” said Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. in explaining the need for the document.
The memorandum of understanding affirms the regents’ commitment to the expansion of MCG’s doctor-of-medicine degree program to a joint MCG-UGA campus in Athens, states that the program will be developed in full compliance with the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (the national accrediting body for these degrees) and establishes a Program Advisory Committee to do strategic planning and manage public-affairs issues regarding the partnership.
The MOU, which took effect upon the board’s approval, states that the joint MCG-UGA campus in Athens will be operational no later than 2010 and that MCG appoints the campus dean with the concurrence of UGA’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.