Lipscomb breaks ground on first College of Pharmacy in Middle Tennessee
Janel Shoun |
The 44,000-square-foot Burton Building, completed in 1947, will be completely gutted and renovated to include a pharmaceutical science research lab, a pharmaceutical preparations lab, a patient physical assessment lab, a computer/dispensing simulation lab, five lecture halls, administrative and faculty offices, a museum, and a series of small group critical thinking discussion rooms, student lounges and student pharmacist organization offices.
“We are very proud that the university has chosen the most prominent building on campus to house its new pharmacy program, the university’s first doctoral program. It’s appropriate for a program that will address the health care needs of our community and nation,” said Roger Davis, Dean of Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy.
Lipscomb expects to enroll the first pharmacy students in fall 2008. The university has already received significant interest from potential students regarding the pharmacy program. The College will announce its entire leadership team at the groundbreaking event.
The renovation project is expected to last 10-12 months and will include replacing all the exterior windows, which will give the classical building a much more modern look and allow significantly more natural light to wash into the classrooms, student lounges and labs, said Chuck Miller, associate with Tuck Hinton Architects and project manager for Lipscomb University projects.
“We wanted to capture its history, but also to update it,” he said of Burton, which is the most prominent building visible to passers-by on Belmont Boulevard.
The building was first called College Hall by students after it was constructed as part of the Lipscomb Expansion Program of 1944. For years Burton served as “the center of student life” as it housed the post office, bookstore, soda fountain, sandwich counter, recreation room and the Bison Lounge.
In 1966 the building was renamed the A.M. Burton Building, and in 1995 it became the home of Lipscomb’s Bible department, and became known as the Burton Bible Building. When the Ezell Center opened on campus last fall, most of the academic departments and administrative offices moved out of Burton, leaving a significant portion of the facility open for growth of new academic programs.
In addition to the pharmacy college facilities, the university will renovate Collins Alumni Auditorium, housed in Burton, and add a $2.2 million music wing adjacent to the auditorium this summer.
The interior of Burton will change from a closed-off mid-century floor plan to an open, airy floor plan with lots of glass walls, wide corridors and gathering spots, Miller said. Furniture in the classrooms will be lightweight and portable, allowing for lots of small group interaction.
Lipscomb’s pharmacy college will use innovative state-of-the-art technology for education in its lecture halls and laboratory facilities, Davis said.
Students will use a pharmaceutical preparation lab to learn how to prepare compounded pharmaceutical dosage forms. Another lab will be used to teach patient assessments, such as measuring blood pressure, administering immunizations or demonstrating diabetic testing materials. A general science lab will be used to teach anatomy and physiology, and a computerized dispensing lab will teach students how to work with patient records and automated dispensing systems.
In response to a growing need for highly qualified pharmacists throughout the nation, Lipscomb University announced in November that it would create the third pharmacy college in the state, the first in Middle Tennessee. The goal is to enroll 75 students in the first class.
The College of Pharmacy is following the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) process to be considered for pre-candidate status by June 2008.