Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences launches new academic center

Sep 21 2009

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences today officially opened a new 30,000 square foot, $10M academic center at 40 Foster St. in downtown Worcester. On hand at the event were Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Worcester City Manager Michael O’Brien, Worcester Mayor Konstantina Lukes and MCPHS President Charles F. Monahan Jr.

“Much of the College’s future growth is in Worcester, and we appreciate the cooperation from both the local government and business community to help this state-of-the-art facility become a reality,” President Monahan said. “With its top-notch hospitals, clinical sites and higher education institutions, this new facility is just one more reason why Worcester is such an attractive place to live, learn and stay.”

The College purchased the property, formerly known as The Protocol Building, in August 2008. The new facility was dedicated in the name of alumnus Ahmad H. Alhaddad (Class of 1986), who has pledged $1.2 million to support the Worcester Campus. Mr. Alhaddad was employed by chain pharmacies in Watertown, Williamston, and Cambridge, Mass., before moving to Florida in 2004 and acquiring Weaver’s Corner Pharmacy in Fort Myers, Florida. He holds a bachelor of science in pharmacy and minor in nuclear pharmacy from MCPHS, and lives with his wife Sonia and their two boys.

“I have been amazed at the changes at MCPHS since I graduated, and I’m very proud of the direction in which the College is moving,” Mr. Alhaddad said. “It is an absolute thrill to already see so many students in white coats using the facility, and I hope this will have a tangible effect both on the city of Worcester and the region as a whole.”

The Alhaddad Building contains 30,000 square feet of new academic space, including a state-of-the-art multi-purpose pharmacy laboratory with 64 stations, two 250-seat distance education auditoriums, three 50-seat “smart classrooms”, 20 faculty offices, and a glass-enclosed, street-level student lounge. The new facility will nearly double the size of the School of Pharmacy Worcester/Manchester, which last year received 3,000 applications for 150 slots. In response to the demand, the new space will help increase the number of pharmacy students dramatically over the next three years. When the enrollment expansion is fully implemented, there will be a total of 750 Doctor of Pharmacy students (1,000 students total across all programs) at MCPHS-Worcester.

“I know I’m not alone when I say I am thrilled to see such a vibrant, modern addition to the downtown area,” said City Manager Michael O’Brien. “President Monahan’s investment in his hometown of Worcester, coupled his expansion plans for the near future, are a validation of this city’s hard work to become a premier health care destination in New England.”

Francis Harvey & Sons, Inc. of Worcester oversaw construction of the facility, while the architects and designers were Janet Stegman and Alan Westman of Stegman and Associates Architects, and Kristine Stoller of Kristine Stoller Interior Design LLC.