Medical College of Georgia gets new name

By Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Say good-bye to the Medical College of Georgia and hello to the Georgia Health Sciences University. The state’s sole public medical college will have a new name effective Feb. 1.

Enlarge photo

RICH ADDICKS/Special The Medical College of Georgia will be renamed the Georgia Health Sciences University.

More Atlanta area news »

• Beryl may bring rain, wind here
• Suicide call leads to pot bust
• 
‘Pioneers’ helped break
 Marines’ color barrier
• Not all cheating the same at APS

The new name reflects that the institution offers more than just medical degrees, college President Ricardo Azziz told the State Board of Regents Wednesday. MCG also offers programs in nursing, dentistry, allied health and graduate studies.

The new name "better defines our institution as what it is -- a comprehensive health sciences university and a modern academic health center," Azziz said.

Azziz estimated it will cost about $2.9 million to implement the name change, with the largest expense allocated to new signage.

He assured the regents that the "return in investment is actually very high."

The new name will assist the college to recruit students, faculty and leading research teams. The grants that new research teams would generate will in the long-term exceed the cost of the name change, he said.

The MCG name will not go away entirely. The medical school within the college, currently called MCG's School of Medicine, will be renamed Medical College of Georgia.