In 1952, 40 years after Cornell University formed a cooperative program for offering advanced degrees to students in its Medical College, a partnership was created by two Manhattan "neighbors"—the Medical College and the Sloan-Kettering Institute (SKI)—to form what has become the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences (WCGS). For more than a half-century, WCGS has focused on preparing its students for careers in the biomedical sciences. The Graduate School faculty today numbers more than 250, and more than 1,000 students have earned Cornell University PhDs from the school. By 2008, WCGS enrollment had grown to more than 400 PhD students, reflecting a two-fold increase in enrollment over 10 years. The school now offers seven programs of study to predoctoral students, representing the commitment of the Medical College and SKI to offer exceptional training to biomedical researchers.