Mercer University breaks ground on new downtown medical school

The new medical school facility, which leaders expect to be completed in Fall 2028, is expected to create a boom for businesses in downtown Macon.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Today, Mercer University celebrated the groundbreaking of its largest project on record – a new downtown medical school and multi-use development which leaders say has been decades in the making.

The new medical school facility, which leaders expect to be completed in Fall 2028, is expected to create a boom for businesses in downtown Macon. University leaders say the total project cost will exceed $400 million, and will include new housing, restaurants, shopping offices and possibly a hotel.

“We needed to find a place where there was room to support not just the campus, but the collateral development that would be involved in it,” said William Underwood, President of Mercer University. “And we thought the right place was in downtown Macon.” 

The medical school campus will be 150,000 square feet, making it the largest construction in Mercer’s history. Dr. Jean Sumner, Dean of the Mercer University School of Medicine, says that not only leaves room for new equipment, but increased comfort for students and staff.

“Medical education is best served when you can work with other colleagues and when you have spaces where you can relax,” Dr. Sumner said. “It is a very hard educational experience.” 

The medical school only accepts students from Georgia, underlining its mission to address the state’s needs. Dr. Sumner says she views the historic investment from the state as a way of saying thank you.

“I think it is an acknowledgement of the commitment and the success of the School of Medicine to provide doctors to rural, underserved populations,” Dr. Sumner said. 

While they may not attend classes in the new building, medical school students on hand like Joshua Dempsey say completion of the project will make them even more proud to be a Mercer Bear.

“I think this is going to help the prestige of the university, which is already great, especially in the state,” Dempsey said. “But you know, I think it will help it become an even bigger name in the southeast or even throughout the country.”

Gov. Brian Kemp allocated $25 million in the state budget for construction of the campus, and the project has received millions of dollars in contributions from local organizations.