Plans for new College of Pharmacy space moving forward

July 01, 2019
Rendering of future building

After years of planning, the Medical University has hired an architectural firm – Compass 5 Partners – to design the future home of the College of Pharmacy. 

With the project now in the design phase, construction is anticipated to begin in late 2020. Once started, construction on the new College of Pharmacy building is expected to take 18 months.

The new facility will be built on the Horseshoe, in the heart of MUSC’s campus. This location brings the College closer to its practice pharmacy and research happening in the Drug Discovery Building.

“This is a truly historic moment for the MUSC College of Pharmacy,” said Terry Blackmon, chair of the MUSC Building Leadership Committee. “For a long time, we’ve all been working on behalf of an idea. To be one of the people present as it takes its first physical form is an extraordinary privilege. I’m grateful for all the hard work and passion of the MUSC pharmacy alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and students.”

Plans call for the construction of a 24,000-square-foot space, plus the renovation of shared space in the adjacent Basic Science Building and Colbert Education Center.

For years, College leadership and alumni have been advocating for a modern space to replace the current 80-year-old building on Calhoun Street. The new facility is expected to further strengthen the College’s competitive position in attracting the nation’s top students and faculty.

The Building Leadership Committee, which is made up of Pharmacy alumni and College leadership, was created to support the vision of a state-of-the-art space that would complement and leverage the school’s other strengths, which include an outstanding faculty, excellent programs, and an affiliation with a major teaching hospital.

“When Dean Hall asked me to serve on the committee, I told him our success would depend on commitment and collaboration,” said Mike Heath, founding chair of the MUSC Building Leadership Committee. “It’s been incredibly gratifying to see so many people in the MUSC pharmacy family invest their time, talent, and resources to make this dream a reality.”