The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford is expanding and in 2017 will host its inaugural class of first-year medical students.
The expansion will bring 55 new medical school students to the Rockford campus next fall. The school has served students in their second, third and fourth years, but first-year students have attended classes in Champaign-Urbana.
Gary Kaatz, former CEO of Rockford Health Systems, is leading a campaign to raise $1.9 million during the next three years to support the expansion. The school plans to hire an additional faculty and staff, and build an anatomy lab and a team-based learning room on campus.
The first fundraiser is a casino night scheduled Friday in Rockford.
