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Each year the MUSC Medical Alumni Association plans a series of special events in the spring designed to provide an opportunity for graduates to visit their alma mater and reconnect with their former classmates and faculty. This year, College of Medicine alumni from years ending in nine and four were invited to attend a reunion weekend that featured non-stop activities.

Nearly 500 medical alumni and their guests convened in Charleston to participate in the various programs. Workshops on Friday, March 12, and the following morning offered a number of sessions focusing on computers, financial management, nutrition, practice management, dermatology, cardiology and women in medicine. Individual classes celebrated Friday night at several locations throughout the Lowcountry.

Campus tours on Saturday showcased Rutledge Tower, its pharmacy and its radiology department and the innovative radio surgery equipment in the radiation oncology department in the Clinical Sciences Building. Medical students served as tour guides.

One special attraction of Saturday's agenda proved to be the luncheon cruise in Charleston harbor, as it was highlighted by the attendance of many current and retired faculty members. The festivities culminated with a gala at the Harper Student Center, where all classes dined and danced and each of the eight reunion classes presented their reunion gift to the college.

Close to $200,000 was raised by the eight classes, and half of that was designated to establish individual class endowed scholarship funds through the MUSC Health Sciences Foundation. The weekend marked the fourth year since changes in the reunion schedule and format were inaugurated. Previously, class reunions were held during the state medical association meeting. Initial changes four years ago were received enthusiastically by alumni, and since then the format has evolved to its present structure, providing an abundance of opportunities for alumni to learn, socialize and reminisce.

Layton McCurdy, M.D., vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine, invited alumni to return to campus to “celebrate the changes in and the changelessness of this institution” and encouraged them to see not only “new buildings, new faces, new ways of doing things” but also to “witness the same transformation that you experienced as a student here—the transformation of bright young people into dedicated competent physicians.”