In 1915, the Mayo brothers developed America's first graduate program in clinical medicine by endowing what is today the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine with $1.5 million that had been carefully saved from their accumulated earnings and investments of more than 25 years. Later they added another $500,000 to that endowment. Those funds went to the University of Minnesota to establish the graduate school.

Some 71 students enrolled during the initial 1915-1916 school year.

In 1964, the school became known as Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. In 1983, it became independent, no longer affiliated with the University of Minnesota, and Mayo Foundation became a degree-granting institution.

Today Mayo Graduate School of Medicine offers physician residency and fellowship programs in virtually all medical and surgical specialties. The program has grown steadily and has more than 16,000 alumni scattered through the world.

That first commitment to graduate medical education has now grown into five medical education institutions. Besides the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine they include:

• Mayo School of Health Sciences
• Mayo Medical School
• Mayo Graduate School
• Mayo School of Continuing Medical Education