Chancellor Stephen Portch said Wednesday he'll launch a search effort within days for the next president of the Medical College of Georgia, a move he hopes will quell speculation that the Augusta college could be absorbed by the University of Georgia. Talk that research programs in Athens and Augusta could merge or the university would take over the medical college were fueled by the announcement in December of Francis Tedesco's retirement as MCG president, and by efforts at collaboration between the schools in biomedical research, Portch, chancellor of the state University System, said Wednesday. Portch got a letter of concern from the chair of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce about the fact a search for Tedesco's successor has not started. The medical college was part of the university until 1950, and is now one of the largest employers in Augusta. Still, look for increased collaboration between the schools, even if not at the level seen between Emory University and Georgia Tech, which he said have formed a joint academic department.
Much tighter collaboration is the way to do that.
Portch said he'll begin seeking nominations for a president' search committee later this week, and start work forming a joint committee that will formalize the schools' efforts toward a closer alignment. With the governor's backing, college administrators on both campuses have seeking seed money for joint research, and looking for improved research productivity at both schools, where funding has been relatively flat. There have been a lot of faculty conversations. MCG has been reeling from a large number of early retirements, including Tedesco's planned departure this coming December, and the privatizing of the college's hospitals and clinics. Its low rank compared medical schools with longer histories of research has put the spotlight on the need to boost research output in Augusta.