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 lead gift 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.
Other key support from the project comes from Hy-Vee, Inc.,
and the Roy J. Carver Trust.
Hy-Vee’s 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,â€
says Raylene Rospond, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
(CPHS).
All three lead gift commitments to the Atrium’s construction
represent the 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. In honor of Cline’s scholarship
endowment, Drake renamed the Pharmacy and Science Hall the Morgan E. Cline Hall
of Pharmacy and Science.
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 completed experiential education at 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.
This
most recent grant from the Roy J. Carver Trust continues the organization’s
long history of support for the transformation
of undergraduate science facilities at Drake University. This support dates back to 2004 and includes
support for the renovation of biology laboratories in Olin Hall and, most
recently, the renovation of Harvey Ingham 104 in 2010.
“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 our live
webcam.