On Friday (Nov. 10), the Purdue University colleges of Pharmacy and Health and Human Sciences broke ground on a new Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building.
The building, to be located at the corner of Mitch Daniels Boulevard and Russell Street, is a giant leap toward advancing collaborative learning for future healthcare professionals and addressing the nation’s critical needs for pharmacists and nurses. The new, modern facility will enhance collaboration between the two colleges and allow students opportunities that mirror real-world healthcare settings.
Eric Barker, the Jeannie and Jim Chaney Dean of Pharmacy, said the innovative partnership between the two colleges is a win for healthcare in Indiana and beyond.
“This is a critical time in our rapidly changing healthcare environment nationwide,” he said. “The Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building will provide a modern environment in which we can prepare pharmacists and nurses to tackle critical challenges. It will foster relationships between the disciplines that mirrors the collaborative environments they’ll experience in the field.”
The Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building is slated to include four floors with active-learning classrooms, modern research facilities, simulation labs, and collaboration spaces. It was designed specifically to facilitate interdisciplinary research and collaboration between pharmacy and nursing faculty, staff, and students.
The groundbreaking not only marks the ceremonial start of construction but also a capital campaign that invites alumni and friends of the colleges to be part of changing the landscape of healthcare education.
So far, the university, together with the colleges of Pharmacy and Health and Human Sciences, has received private or institutional commitments of more than $70 million. The Indiana legislature approved an $89 million appropriation.
Purdue’s nursing and pharmacy programs are ranked among the highest in the state of Indiana, and the College of Pharmacy also holds a No. 5 ranking nationally for total research funding—the highest in the Big Ten. The College of Pharmacy continues to graduate the largest class of pharmacists in the state, working with employers to address pharmacist shortages.
The Purdue nursing program has more than doubled in size in recent years to help address the staffing shortages for nurses in Indiana and beyond. The new building will allow both programs to accommodate more students and increase campuswide collaboration opportunities to advance healthier Hoosier communities.
Join the movement at purduefuture4pharmacy.com.