Two things gets Dr. Montgomery-Rice’s adrenaline surging, along with that extraordinary inner drive which operates like a heat-seeking missile that won’t stop until it successfully reaches its target:
(1) New beginnings, because to her they represent excitement born from new and unknown possibilities and, (2) crashing through barriers to do things that very few others, if any, have done before.
Those rare qualities, coupled with her obvious high intellect and enviable educational and professional portfolio and her penchant for firsts, makes it apropos for Montgomery-Rice to become the first ever black female to lead one of the nation’s most prestigious free-standing medical schools when, on Sept. 11 she officially became the sixth president in the storied history of the Morehouse School of Medicine.
Multiple dignitaries, educators and legislators were on hand to help christen Montgomery-Rice as the new president of MSM, including: Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal; Atlanta’s former mayor, Ambassador Andrew Young; Georgia Tech President George P. “Bud” Petersen; Dr. Vivian Pinn of Women’s Health Advocates & Voices; Association of American Medical Colleges President Dr. Darrell Kirch, and CaroMonth Health’s Dr. Ramada Smith, brought greetings to a packed audience of more than 1,500 in the famed Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on the campus of Morehouse College. MSM past presidents Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, Dr. David Satcher, and Dr. John E. Maupin Jr., also participated in the historic event to welcome the eminent academician into the Morehouse fold of leaders.
“I am excited about this new chapter not only for me, but for this great institution of Morehouse School of Medicine,” said Dr. Montgomery-Rice. “The community has joined me in support of our students with investments to the Presidential Scholarship Fund. Our talented students are working to become the next generation of health care leaders and these scholarships help them reach those goals.”
Actually, Montgomery-Rice was born for this moment as she grew up in Middle Georgia, the third of four children of a single mother (due to divorce) and matriculated through the elite American institutions of higher learning. She was one of few African Americans attending the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta before eventually moving onto Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass. outside of Boston.
Now that Rice has been inaugurated as the sixth president of MSM on Sept. 11, she announced the goal of raising $1.5 million in scholarships to aid in the upward trajectory of medical school education in America.
“I have been extremely vocal about this inauguration focusing on raising money for scholarships to support our students thereby decreasing the debt they incur to attend Morehouse School of Medicine.” She continued, “On average, our students come from families with household incomes of $45,000 when the average medical student in this country comes from a family whose household income is $175,000.”
Montgomery-Rice is spearheading Morehouse School of Medicine’s Presidential Scholarship drive that is projected to provide $1.5 million to support the next generation of health care professionals. The Presidential Scholarship Fund was established to aid MSM students deal with the rising cost of education. The Presidential Scholarship Fund received a major boost on Aug. 16 during a pre-inaugural gala luncheon attended by more than 850 notable women in metro Atlanta, which was spearheaded by the notable Billye Aaron, wife of the venerated baseball legend Henry “Hank” Aaron. The Phenomenal Women luncheon raised $500,000 in scholarships for MSM students.
Montgomery-Rice, who was also a dean at Meharry College before taking on as dean and vice present at MSM, has garnered the admiration of colleagues and contemporaries in academic and political circles alike.
“A presidential inauguration is a major occasion in the life of an institution of higher learning,” said Anthony Welters, J.D., Chair of the MSM Board of Trustees. “It is an especially significant time for us as we proudly recognize Dr. Montgomery Rice for her past contributions to MSM and confirm our confidence in her vision to continue to position the school as a national leader in medical education.
The former president of the esteemed school cannot wait for the new era of the presidency at MSM to truly unfold.
“Its sort of celebrating the beginning of a new era. There are new challenges and new opportunities facing us in this country and in the world,” said Dr. David Satcher. “So we are celebrating a new president who so reflects the mission of this institution.”
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