UT Tyler Breaks Ground for New Pharmacy Program

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler has begun construction on the W.T. Brookshire Hall, the future home of the UT Tyler Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy, President Rodney H. Mabry announced. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday to celebrate the occasion at the UT Tyler Robert R. Muntz Library, near the construction site. The three-story, $26.5 million UT Tyler Brookshire Pharmacy Hall is designed to encourage student-faculty interaction and support the college’s innovative teaching methods, according to a UTT news release. Officials say it will provide students with various classrooms and study areas as well as skills labs for hands-on training.

“The addition of the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy is the next step in this university’s vision of becoming nationally recognized as a destination university for high-ability students,” President Mabry said. “W.T. Brookshire Hall will have the needed facilities for the four-year doctor of pharmacy professional degree program. At just over 60,000 square feet, the building will meet the university’s current needs and allow for growth into the future.” Other building features will include student study areas, office spaces, research labs and rooftop terraces. Construction is expected to be completed May 2015.

“We are delighted to have construction begin so quickly on the new W.T. Brookshire Hall. The building will provide a wonderful student-centered facility to educate students in the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy,” said Dr. Lane Brunner, Sam A. Lindsay professor and Fisch College of Pharmacy founding dean. “We are also excited that the building will serve as focal point of active, team-based learning on the UT Tyler campus and be a place where community practitioners can join our faculty in the classroom to provide the best possible learning experience for our students.”

The UT Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy is an innovative, self-sustaining program that will provide East Texas students access to a course of study not available locally or regionally, according to the news release. The accreditation process is underway with the goal of accepting the first class of students in fall 2015. UT Tyler will partner with UT Health Northeast on the new college’s conducted research. You can visit http://www.uttyler.edu/pharmacy for more information.