Michigan State University celebrates opening of new Flint med school campus in old Flint Journal building

FLINT, MI – It's the beginning of a new era, of old changing to new again.

In front of roughly 300 people Friday, Nov. 14, the former Flint Journal building officially became the home to Michigan State University's new Flint campus of the College of Human Medicine, continuing an important partnership among the city's public health and wellness sector.

The expansion of MSU's medical school expansion was made possible by almost $12 million in grants from the C.S. Mott Foundation. The campus is located at 200 E. First St. -- once the old home to newspaper staff and now a renovated new space for MSU medical students, staff and researchers.

It's also a new symbol for the revitalization of the downtown Flint community.

It overlooks the Flint Farmers' Market and is just a couple blocks away from downtown's main thoroughfare and across the street from the University of Michigan-Flint.

"What I think you all should be doing here today – celebrating. This is not just a ribbon cutting. It's a celebration of a deep partnership between the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State and the Flint community and particularly the local hospitals – Genesys, Hurley, McLaren – and others in this community," said Bill White, Mott Foundation president. "And so this whole program and cutting the ribbon on, it's built on long, long, long term success. So this is really celebrating success."

Built in 1924, the building was the home of The Flint Journal for more than 85 years.

MSU's College of Human Medicine had announced plans in late 2011 to expand its medical education and public health programs in Flint with a $2.8 million grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

In February, a $9-million grant was awarded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to help MSU create an endowment to be used to expand the number of students trained in Flint and to recruit top public health researchers who will be based in the city through the program.

Space will be used for office and classrooms for MSU faculty members, researchers and students. There will also be shared student space created.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said the new Flint campus is significant for the university and the greater Flint community.

"This is a day of reflection because this is the culmination of many, many years of vision and work," MSU President Lou Anna Simon. "And what we know is that place matters. Place matters. And if you're embedded in a place, your perspective changes. ... How can we make a difference in not only the lives of the students or resident but how does that multiply into making a huge difference for the community?

"This is the right place. It's the right place."

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