The Early Years | Growth & Expansion | The Modern Era The Early Years In 1912, a group of idealistic physicians and community leaders formed the non-profit school, then known as The Chicago Hospital-College of Medicine, to serve medical students who were able to attend only at night. From the beginning, the institution, long known as The Chicago Medical School, rejected the use of quotas to limit minority enrollment. The leaders of the school believed that only a student's merit should play a role in the admissions process. Students were welcomed without regard to race or gender. As the school's 1912-13 bulletin states, "[I]t is the firm belief of the Faculty of this school that there are deserving men and women, who, if given a second opportunity, will soon 'catch up' with and even surpass those students who have had earlier opportunities and advantages." After several moves, the school relocated to a vacant hospital at 710 S. Wolcott. The additional space was desperately needed, as enrollment more than doubled during the Great Depression. The school became a haven for Jewish researchers and faculty, recruited in great numbers as they fled Nazi Europe beginning in the late 1930s. The school also welcomed Jewish students who faced quotas at other medical schools. The Price of Independence Although The Chicago Medical School was recognized by the State of Illinois in its early years, its lack of affiliation with a major hospital or university contributed to financial problems and stood in the way of accreditation by the American Medical Association. At times, the school struggled to survive. In 1935, Dr. John J. Sheinin became Dean and decided that the school must be saved. To help keep the school open in the 1940s, a wealthy retired Chicago businessman named Lester North Selig issued a challenge to his contemporaries in Chicago's business world: Did they or did they not support a medical school where admission was based on merit alone? Most were self-made men; they should understand in their souls the need to nurture talent, wherever it might arise. They did understand the need and supported the school in its efforts. By 1948, Dr. Sheinin had won accreditation for the school by consistently strengthening its curriculum along with its financial and community support. In fact, the school had a long history of public philanthropy and was one of the first to encourage students to perform community service as a natural outgrowth of a medical education. Students were required to serve in the Medical Clinic Free Dispensary and the Chicago Maternity Center in order to graduate.
© 2004 Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064 • (847) 578-3000 Visit our web site at: http://www.rosalindfranklin.edu