College of Pharmacy takes occupancy of newly constructed facilities

Posted: 03/01/2012

Roosevelt University’s College of Pharmacy celebrated a milestone on Thursday, March 1, taking occupancy of a newly constructed wing of offices and a second interactive learning center (pictured above) that is needed for a new incoming class of students.

“We are now able to bring all of our faculty and staff together with our students,” said George MacKinnon, founding dean of the college that opened its doors to the first class of 66 students in July 2011.

With its new wing, the 27-member College of Pharmacy team now has 22,000 square feet of space available for Roosevelt’s PharmD program, which is the only one of its kind in the Midwest to offer a three-year, year-round format.

The admission process for a second class of approximately 68 students is now underway. Build out of the new facilities makes it possible to welcome the second class beginning July 2.

“The build out of this space and our taking occupancy today is symbolic, as it shows the commitment of the University to the new college,” said MacKinnon. “We have now completed what we set out to do when we began planning for the college in 2009.”

With today’s occupancy, the College now has two interactive learning centers – one for the first class that began in July 2011 and the second that starts this summer. In the centers, students sit at semi-circular tables, with a group of six at each “pod,” creating an intimate, interactive learning environment that is unlike the large lecture hall learning approach taken at many pharmacy colleges.

In addition, the centers are technologically advanced, with group tables wired for computer access, as each student has an Apple laptop as part of his or her tuition; smart boards; and a four-foot band of paint around the room that functions as a dry erase board. The two classes will share use of the facility’s critical skills assessment and simulation laboratory, where real-life pharmacy skills are taught and simulated. In addition, two new laboratories for pharmacy research currently are being constructed at the Schaumburg Campus.

“With this build out we are prepared for the future. Our students will be educated in an intimate, highly contemporary environment, which is a model for pharmacy education today,” MacKinnon said.

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