Drake celebrates the renovation of Harvey Ingham 104 classroom with a ribbon-cutting ceremony
Approximately 2,000 students per year have attended a pharmacy, science or general education class in room 104 of Harvey Ingham Hall over the last 60 years — so, naturally, it’s suffered some wear and tear.
“That’s a total of 120,000 students — nearly double the number of Drake’s living alumni,” Don Fletcher, chairman of the Drake University Board of Directors said during a dedication ceremony of the newly spruced-up space. “Renovating this venerable classroom to fit today’s pedagogy certainly enhances Drake’s exceptional learning environment and benefits large numbers of students.”
The $966,104 renovation replaced the fixed 1950s-era desks with new furniture equipped with electrical outlets for students’ laptops. Furnishings may be arranged to facilitate various activities, including small group projects. Technology updates include the installation of variable lighting, audiovisual equipment for lecture capture and podcasting, as well as a new screen at the front of the classroom with a fully accessible white board beneath.
“The renovations have allowed our classes to be more interactive between both faculty and student and also student-to-student,” says Andrew North, who is on track to earn both a Pharm.D. and MBA from Drake in 2012. “This is not only more conducive to the recently adopted Team-Based Learning approach that is now utilized in several courses throughout the pharmacy curriculum, but also creates an academic environment that is more representative of the collaborative nature of our future careers, as members of the health-care team.”
The project got started because one alumnus expressed a desire to contribute.
Soon after a trip back to campus, Drake Trustee Dr. Bill Smith, AS’70, initiated fundraising necessary for the project in an effort to see the room where once he sat for freshman biology and first year inorganic chemistry updated for today’s students.
“Dr. Smith’s commitment and challenge resulted in a fundraising effort that truly represented the University’s common goal to enhance science education at Drake,” says Raylene M. Rospond, dean of Drake’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Additional donors stepped up, contributing a total of $436,000 toward the project. They included:
- The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust
- Carl Jakopec, PH’69
- Rene Beckham and John Shufeldt, MD, LA‘82
- Annette, FA’85 and Patrick Verdun, PH‘83
- Ellen and Craig A. Mandel, BN’66 PH’69
“I want to thank the generosity of our alumni and friends who have helped to make this renovation possible,” North said on behalf of Drake’s students during the recent dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. “You are truly making a positive impact upon our futures through your gracious donations.”
Following the ceremony, several people went next door to check out classroom 102, which looks much the way 104 did before the renovation.
Fletcher sat down at a desk in the back row and surveyed the scene, imaging how it, too, might be transformed through generosity of alumni and friends.
Read more about the features added in the renovation. Plans are underway to bring a similar transformation to HI 102. If you’d like to contribute, please contact the Office of Alumni and Development.