In the fall of 2017, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford will expand to provide all four years of medical education in Rockford. According to a news release, the first year, known as M1, traditionally was completed in Urbana.
The release says that, in preparation for the change, the college is transforming the curriculum, recruiting new faculty and staff, and renovating facilities.
The organization says the impact of the M1 capital project spending from 2016 to 2035 will result in added income of $33.9 million – equivalent to creating 475 new jobs.
The college also announced the public launch of a $1.9 million fund-raising campaign to support the M1 expansion project.
Founded in 1971, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford has eight academic departments and graduates about 55 physicians each year. Nearly 1,800 doctors have graduated from the Rockford facility since the program’s inception.