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University Medical Center Opens in Jackson
Before the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Teaching Hospital opened in 1955, the only option for medical education in the state was a two-year medical school on the Oxford campus in northeast Mississippi.
Finally, in 1950, the Mississippi Legislature, by a one-vote margin, enacted a law to create a four-year medical school. In 1955, the state's new University Medical Center, or UMC as it was commonly called, opened its doors as a four-year school of medicine with medical students, graduate students in bioscience disciplines, interns, and residents. The campus included a teaching hospital and a library.
University Hospital
The “Old University Hospital” on the campus of the University Medical Center was completed in 1955. The eight-story buff-colored T-shaped brick building was built to house Mississippi’s first comprehensive medical school.
The building encloses more than 10 acres of floor space and united under one roof the three related components of medical education: classrooms, laboratories for research and a 350-bed hospital for clinical training. The building was designed by a consortium of three of Jackson’s most noted architects: E. L. Malvaney, R. W. Naef, and N.W. Overstreet. Hill-Burton federal register of 1968 indicates that the hospital was first approved for funding in 1951 for the construction of a 300-bed capacity hospital, and it received funding in 1965 for an additional 149 beds.
The International style is reflected in the ribbon windows and curtain walls. It was noted at the time of construction that the building was designed so that it could be expanded without losing its continuity. The original building has had additions to the south, north and east, but retains its individual identity, especially in the upper floors. Some interior spaces have been altered to meet new needs.
Prior to the opening of the medical school, Mississippi only offered two years of medical training. Students had to leave the state to finish their medical training, with many choosing not to return to their home state to practice. This “brain drain” caused great concern and efforts to expand in-state training were finally successful in 1950 when Governor Wright signed House Bill 628 authorizing the Building Commission to construct and equip a four-year medical school. Ground was broken on December 5, 1952, and the building was dedicated on October 24, 1955.
From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Creation of ’55 medical school due to spine-tingling courage