University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Expanding to Montgomery County

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy will take its nationally-ranked Doctor of Pharmacy program to The Universities at Shady Grove this fall. Responding to a critical pharmacist shortage in Maryland that is expected to become more severe as baby-boomers age and use more medications, the School will enroll 40 additional students at the Montgomery County campus. The School is well beyond its maximum student capacity on the UMB campus. The plan will enable an enrollment increase of one-third in the entering class.

The expansion will be supported through enrollment increase funds provided by the Governor at the request of the Board of Regents and a substantial capital investment by the University of Maryland, Baltimore to construct specialized facilities for pharmacy at Shady Grove.

UMB President David J. Ramsay says, "Such an investment is worthwhile to support the University's mission to meet Maryland's need for the vital health profession of pharmacy. Moving our PharmD program to Shady Grove also gives our research-intensive School of Pharmacy a foothold in the heart of Montgomery County's 270 research corridor."

School of Pharmacy Dean David A. Knapp says, "The Shady Grove program will eventually enroll a full four-year complement of 160 students, drawing upon the rich resources of clinical facilities and government and industrial laboratories in the region to support the doctoral program. The new location will also provide an alternative to the main campus in Baltimore for students residing in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, as well as somewhat easier access for students from Western Maryland."

The Shady Grove expansion is part of an ambitious expansion plan by the School of Pharmacy to double its PharmD enrollment over the next 10 years. Central to the effort is construction of a new pharmacy building on the Baltimore campus to house the additional faculty, students, and educational and research facilities essential to support the growth. The School received initial planning funds for the building during last spring's General Assembly and has engaged architects to begin work on the building.

It is important that the General Assembly provide continued planning and construction funds to complete the building as quickly as possible. "The new building is a critical piece of our enrollment expansion," says Knapp.

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