BUILDING OVERVIEW
Building Philosophy
As the curriculum and culture
have changed, so have the school's facility needs. The current
building reflects an earlier time in pharmacy education, which focused
on the pharmaceutical sciences. Student pharmacists training in
today's program rely heavily on solving relevant patient problems
through a team environment. The role of the professor has changed
primarily from that of the lecturer to educational facilitator and
mentor; assisting students to mature into caring professionals. In
addition to new learning spaces, which foster these interactive
educational experiences, patient care facilities and pharmaceutical care
training centers are needed.
The number of students
entering pharmacy has grown significantly. As a result, the
current facility is no longer able to accommodate class sizes. The
school's current facility was designed for the use of 300 students, but
today it must serve 480 professional students, 40 graduate students as
well as 80 faculty and staff members. The James Harrison School of
Pharmacy has also become a national innovator in pharmacy education,
including the use of technology and informatics. A new building
will reflect our growing enrollment and support our evolving pharmacy
curriculum.
Construction Phases
The HSOP's renovation currently involves two Phases. Phase I is the new
Education and Clinic Wing (ECW), this Phase consists of 45,000 sf of new
construction attached to the Walker building. As part of Phase I
construction there will be a west tower added that will accommodate new
chemical storage facilities and provide for much needed faculty office
space. Construction should start on this addition in late Spring 2005. Phase II will remodel the existing structure to improve research
facilities and provide a long over due face lift for existing faculty
offices and administrative facilities. Phase II, although critical to AUHSOP’s mission, is not fully designed nor have funds been secured to
move the project forward. The overall facilities improvements are
estimated to cost over $22 million dollars.
Information Technology
@ HSOP
The Harrison School of Pharmacy
leads pharmacy academic programs around the nation in information
technology implementation and innovation. Our commitment to technology
is evident in our new Education and Clinic Wing, featuring ubiquitous
wireless access, multipoint video conferencing capabilities, live and
on-demand webcast programs, and an in-house IT department that provides
faculty, staff and students with hardware and software support.
