WNEC to Add School of Pharmacy

SPRINGFIELD — The Western New England College board of trustees has voted to move forward with plans to create a new School of Pharmacy. The project will include the construction of a new academic building, as well as at least one new residence hall. The College will now seek approvals from the Mass. Board of Higher Education and other accrediting agencies.

“The college studied carefully and fully the role pharmacy education could play at Western New England College, given our long experience in providing professional education to students in a wide range of areas, including business, engineering, education, criminal justice, social work, and law,” said Dr. Anthony S. Caprio, WNEC president. “This endeavor, leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, provides an opportunity for Western New England College to address the current and projected national shortage of pharmacists.”

Plans call for the college to begin enrolling students in a pre-Pharmacy program in the fall of 2009 with 60 freshmen, leading to a full-fledged school in 2011 with a capacity of 340 students.

Students would then progress to a professional Pharmacy program, pending approval, graduating with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree following a total of six years of study. The School of Pharmacy will be housed in the new academic building, which will also accommodate programs and laboratories for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

The School of Pharmacy will join the College’s existing schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Law. It will involve a $20 million construction project and eventually will require the hiring of about 40 employees, including a dean, an assistant dean, a faculty of about 30, and a support staff of about 10.