University of South Carolina approves plans for new medical school campus
The University of South Carolina board of trustees has signed off on plans for a new medical school campus in Columbia.
The Charleston Post and Courier reports that the $300 million, 320,000-square-foot research and academic building is expected to be ready for researchers and students for the fall 2027 semester.
Plans call for a C-shaped limestone and glass building bracketing a tree-lined quad. It will replace the university's existing medical school facility on the Department of Veterans Affairs campus. The university has occupied that site since 1980, but its lease is up in 2030.
The new building will open up space to grow the medical school's annual classes to 130 students, said Derek Gruner, university architect, up from around 100.
Funding for the project is evenly split three ways between state appropriations, university funds and bond debt.
Initial plans for the campus had separate academic and research buildings, but "stakeholder input" pushed the two together.
The new medical school building project still needs to go through a few more approval steps from the state, including approval from the state Commission on Higher Education, but the university expects the project to move through those hurdles.
