Hamacher Pharmacy Learning Center opens

The David and Marjorie Hamacher Pharmacy Learning Center and Academic Programs Office marked its official opening on Wednesday.

But by the first day of the semester, School of Pharmacy students had already moved into the comfortable, sunny space overlooking the pond and UW Hospital.

“The Hamacher Pharmacy Learning Center includes innovative classroom facilities, individual and group study spaces, and student gathering space known as the F.B. Power Pharmacy Commons. It is a beautiful addition to Rennebohm Hall that will enhance the student experience,” said Dean Jeanette Roberts.

David Hamacher is a 1966 graduate of the UW School of Pharmacy and was a partner and executive vice president of the former Stein Drug chain.

Lining the commons are seven rooms for group study, some of them outfitted with technology that allows up to six people to link computers and work on group projects.

Just down the hall, the Pharmacy Learning Lab, donated by the Michael Flagstad family and Visante, Inc., creates active learning space for larger work groups. The room has four video screens, as well as “intelligent” whiteboards that line the walls, allowing breakout groups to work on various aspects of an overall project. Flagstad is chair of the school’s board of visitors and a master’s and bachelor’s alumnus.

The addition also moves the Academic Programs Office closer to the students it serves, creating a circular suite of meeting rooms and offices within the triangular space.

“The Academic Programs Office provides current and prospective students, faculty and staff with a welcoming environment and ready access to advisors and staff members who support the School’s Doctor of Pharmacy and Pharmacology and Toxicology programs,’’ says Jeanine Mount, associate dean of academic affairs. “Architect Aro Eberle’s innovative design has created a space to facilitate collaboration and enhance services for the numerous groups served by the school.”

The re-opening of the pedestrian bridge over Highland Avenue just in time for the return of real Wisconsin winter was also a cause for happiness on the western edge of campus.

The bridge, closed since construction began last summer, allows indoor passage between Rennebohm Hall and the Health Sciences Learning Center and UW-Hospital and Clinics.

The project did not use state tax money; gifts to UW Foundation paid for the $1.8 million renovation.