McColloughs Endow Pre-Medical Institute & Art Biennale at Alabama

McColloughs Endow Pre-Medical Institute & Art Biennale at Alabama
A prominent University of Alabama alumni couple from Gulf Shores, Dr. E. Gaylon and Mrs. Susan N. McCollough, has gifted the College of Arts and Sciences with its largest academic endowment in nearly two decades. The fund creates two unprecedented initiatives: The Dr. E. Gaylon McCollough Institute for Pre-Medical Scholars and the Susan N. McCollough Art Biennale. The McCollough Pre-Medical Institute, which is slated to be considered by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees in June 2017 and welcome its first class in the 2019-2020 academic year, seeks to attract the best and brightest pre-med students in the country. The Institute’s curriculum will offer innovative interdisciplinary pre-medical training focused on academic excellence, applied analytics, leadership, community service, scholarly research, communicative skills and ethical professionalism. The McCollough Institute will provide opportunities for concentrated mentorship by limiting the number of freshmen admitted to 40 per academic year, with no more than 160 students in the program at one time
“Susan and I have long been committed to encouraging young people to excel—both in our community and state,” Dr. McCollough said. “The unique educational experience offered by the McCollough Institute for Pre-Medical Scholars will provide an academic environment that enlightens the mind and buoys the spirit. We envisioned a broad-based course of study, uniquely designed to prepare aspiring physicians for the scholastic and professional challenges that lay ahead, and a venue through which scholars pursuing careers in art could see their works appreciated by individuals from all walks of life. It should place our alma mater at the top of institutions attended by the most promising of tomorrow’s physicians and surgeons.”
A portion of the McCollough’s gift will create the Susan N. McCollough Art Biennale, a contemporary art exhibition showcasing the art of leading professionals alongside emerging and alumni artists. The biennale is expected to attract students to the University who view art as a passion… and career.
Prior to what amounts to the “largest contribution to the U of A’s College of Arts and Sciences in nearly two decades, the McColloughs gave a substantial gift to establish the Gaylon and Susan McCollough Pre-Medical Scholars Forum at UA. In February of 2107, the McCollough Medical Scholars Forum celebrated its 15th anniversary. The Forum will function inside the Institute and remain a critical part of all pre-medical students’ U of A experience.
Dr. E. Gaylon McCollough, former UA All-American athlete and scholar, is a prominent facial plastic surgeon. He is president and CEO of the internationally acclaimed McCollough Plastic Surgery Clinic, and founder of the McCollough Institute for Appearance and Health in Gulf Shores.
In 2015, Dr. McCollough received the Theodore Roosevelt Meritorious Achievement Award from the United States Sports Academy and be will inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in May as its 2017 Distinguished Alabama Sportsmen.
He is also recognized by his peers as one of the Best Doctors in America and one of America’s Top Plastic Surgeons. At UA, the 1965 honors graduate was an Academic All-American on Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s 1964 National Championship football team, after which he opted to focus on a medical career in lieu of one with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.
Susan Nomberg McCollough is an internationally-acclaimed abstract and impressionistic artist who has produced hundreds of paintings, many of which have won national and international awards. She is a former “Miss University of Alabama” and “Miss Alabama, International” in Long Beach, California (which gave way to the “Miss Universe Pageant”).
About the art biennale component of the McCollough’s gift, Susan said, “I look forward to promoting the Art Department at the University of Alabama. The biennale will provide students—right out of college—a platform to exhibit their work in a professional setting, and alongside the works of established alumni/artists of the University of Alabama. For some it might be their first exhibition and open doors beyond imagination.”
Susan is a Trustee of the United States Sports Academy and, after serving for more than 10 years as an active member the Academy’s Art Committee, continues in Emeritus capacity. The USSA and its Art Committee attracts and honors artists from around the world and is responsible for selecting featured artists for the Olympics. Her works can be seen at her gallery, The Susan N. McCollough Gallery/Studio, located within the McCollough Institute for Appearance and Health in Gulf Shores or viewed online at susannmccolloughart.media.
Pictured: Susan McCollough, Dr. Gaylon McCollough, UA President Stuart Bell & UA Dean Robert Olin.