College of Pharmacy Renovation
Project Description
The project will allow for program expansion so more healthcare professionals can be adequately trained to work in New Mexico. We are preparing New Mexico’s workforce for greater depth into biomedical research and treatment. The renovation of the College of Pharmacy is a critical investment in the future of pharmacy education and research in New Mexico. It will help to ensure that UNM remains a leader in pharmacy education and that New Mexico has the pharmacists it needs to meet the needs of the state and community. The renovated facility will create new opportunities for education and research. With more space, the program can offer more classes, increase student enrollment, and attract more research grants. This will make UNM a more competitive pharmacy school and help to address the shortage of pharmacists in New Mexico.
The refresh and remodel will add more education and research space for the College, allowing for increased instruction space, to help the College grow in courses and expanded curriculum. The UNM College of Pharmacy is the only PharmD program offered in the state of New Mexico. It is important to keep this program competitive at a national level. This will attract New Mexico applicants as well as applicants from across the nation, making UNM a destination university.
Increased research space will allow the College a greater number of research opportunities and provide the potential to increase research grants and not be limited by the physical space. This aims not only to retain faculty and students in our state but also to provide needed services to our community. This project also provides an opportunity for further researchers to propel and enhance discoveries and provide a path to possibly accelerate research to a pace we have yet to at the UNM Health Sciences Center.
Additional Background
The existing Nursing and Pharmacy building is a 77-year-old legacy of innovation. With the completion of the new College of Nursing and Public Health Excellence, the College of Nursing will vacate the existing facility and allow the College of Pharmacy an opportunity to renovate before occupying the vacated space.
With world-class clinical and basic science faculty and a student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1, our student pharmacists engage fully with a comprehensive curriculum. Our student organizations are both plentiful and prolific - consistently winning regional and national awards and elected offices. The College of Pharmacy aims to deliver this education, research, and patient care in state-of-the-art facilities. The College of Pharmacy research program ranks 4th (out of 144 schools of pharmacy) in total NIH funding. Our undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs produce graduates who are highly prepared to begin successful and fulfilling careers as respected members of the next generation of leaders in biomedical, academic, pharmaceutical outcomes, and policy innovations. UNM College of Pharmacy has awarded more than 3,500 pharmacy degrees and has served as the training ground for 81% of pharmacists practicing in New Mexico today.
Total GO Bond Request: $35 million
