In a large and welcoming space, students sit in groups of threes and fours, discussing their latest class project. One group is using an LCD screen to show its most recent research findings, while a lone student sits hunched over a textbook, undisturbed by the group discussions going on in the same space.
This scene is just one of many Drake administrators hope will soon become a reality upon the completion of the Morgan E. Cline Atrium for Pharmacy and Science. The two-story facility will connect Cline Hall of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with Harvey Ingham Hall and will provide ample study space, faculty offices, and an experiential learning suite.
Funding for the building came from a number of gifts to distinctlyDrake, including a gift from the Carver Trust and the lead donation from Morgan E. Cline, PH’53. This will be the second building named in honor of Cline, one of the founders of Cline, Davis & Mann, a New York advertising agency specializing in pharmaceuticals.
Hy-Vee, Inc., is also one of the key benefactors of the Atrium. Their $300,000 gift to distinctlyDrake will create the Hy-Vee Student Learning Commons on the first floor of the Atrium. Once the cacophony of construction fades in early 2013, the sounds of students collaborating with their peers and faculty will fill the space. The technologically-advanced Commons will be outfitted to enhance creativity, team-building, problem-solving, collaboration, and individual and presentation preparation. The open room will also serve as a venue for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ and campus-wide events.
“The commons will provide students with the ability to extend their learning outside the classroom and to develop the critical skills of working in teams, problem solving, and critical thinking that are so important as they transition into the work environments of today,” says Raylene Rospond, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS).
Both Hy-Vee’s and Cline’s commitments to the Atrium’s construction is a continuance of long-standing relationships with the CPHS.
Cline has previously served on the Drake University Board of Trustees and has been a major benefactor to the University, endowing a scholarship fund for pharmacy students with a $5 million gift in 2001.
Hy-Vee also maintains close ties with Drake. The stores’ pharmacies have served as a valuable training ground for pharmacy and health sciences students, providing experiential education opportunities and mentor relationships with Hy-Vee’s pharmacists and health care professionals. Since 2006, 464 Drake pharmacy and health sciences students have worked across 45 individual Hy-Vee sites. That partnership continues after graduation for many students; since 2001, more than 80 pharmacy graduates have started their careers at Hy-Vee.
“The success of the College and our graduates is predicated by the engagement of alumni such as Morgan Cline and employers such as Hy-Vee,” Rospond says. “These individuals provide learning environments both on-campus and in the community that develop Drake Pharm.D. graduates into quality practitioners that are engaged with their patients and the community.”
The Atrium is expected to be complete in January 2013. Visit the CPHS website to keep up on the Atrium’s progress. For a real-time view of construction, check out the live webcam.