Athens, Georgia as a slave by law and mixed-race by ancestry, Healy was the first person of African descent to head a predominantly white American university. He identified as Irish Catholic, like his father, and was educated in Catholic schools in the United States and France. He is credited with reforming the undergraduate curriculum, lengthening the medical and law programs, and creating the Alumni Association. One of his largest undertakings was the construction of a major new building, subsequently named Healy Hall in his honor. For his work, Healy is known as the school's "second founder".
In 1870, after the founding of the Law Department, Healy and his successors hoped to bind the professional schools into a university, and focus on higher education.
=== 20th century ===
In 1901, the School of Medicine added a dental school in 1901 and the undergraduate School of Nursing in 1903. Georgetown Preparatory School relocated from campus in 1919 and fully separated from the university in 1927.
The School of …
