ATLANTA – Mercer University today broke ground on the 65,000-square-foot Moye Pharmacy and Health Sciences Center on the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus in Atlanta.
The new facility, the main component of a $36.8 million construction project, will house learning, teaching and administrative space for the College of Pharmacy and further facilitate interprofessional initiatives involving the University’s four health sciences schools. The project also includes renovation of an additional 18,500 square feet of space in the DuVall Building to expand labs for the College of Pharmacy’s rapidly growing research activities.
“The Moye Pharmacy and Health Sciences Center and the accompanying renovation of the DuVall Building will provide quality classroom space to assist our faculty and staff with the recruitment of high-quality students and researchers and will expand the capacity of our scientists and researchers to continue in partnership with numerous government, industry and nonprofit organizations, making Mercer one of the Southeast’s leading centers for pharmaceutical sciences education and research,” said Mercer President William D. Underwood.
The first floor of the new facility will include state-of-the-art classrooms, a clinical skills and simulation laboratory, dedicated spaces for students and administrative offices.
Interactive classrooms, not fixed in configuration, will allow for more options in didactic teaching and will better facilitate team-based learning and other active learning strategies. A flexible and open building design will provide students with space for breakout sessions, study groups, organizational meetings and projects. The second floor will house faculty and staff offices that will be relocated from the DuVall and Pharmacy Administration and Cafeteria buildings.
Mercer’s College of Pharmacy is the only pharmacy program in Atlanta and is consistently ranked as the leading private pharmacy program in the Southeast. The College has experienced recent dynamic growth in research activity, surpassing $3 million in extramural research funding in 2020.
Over the past several years, the College has received research grants from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Agency for International Development, Department of Defense, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Georgia Research Alliance, Georgia Cancer Coalition, as well as from pharmaceutical companies and private foundations.
The Moye Pharmacy and Health Sciences Center is named in recognition of the lead gift provided by Mercer alumnus, trustee and longtime supporter Tony Moye and his wife, Nancy, who reside in McDonough.
Tony Moye, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from Mercer in 1973, has served four five-year terms on the University’s Board of Trustees and currently serves as chair of the board. He is a Life Member of the President’s Club and former preceptor for Mercer pharmacy students.
In 1977, he established Moye’s Pharmacy and Home Health Care, which grew to include seven retail pharmacies, a closed-door pharmacy and a health care division. In 2004, his company was designated McKesson National Retail Pharmacy of the Year.
In 2012, he received the Bowl of Hygeia for the state of Georgia. The award, established by the A.H. Robins Company in 1958 to recognize pharmacists across the nation for outstanding service to their communities, is annually presented to a Georgia pharmacist by the Georgia Pharmacy Association.
He has served as a member of the National Association of Retail Druggists, Georgia Pharmacy Board, Georgia Pharmaceutical Association, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority and United Community Bank Advisory Board. He is a past chairman of the Henry County Chamber of Commerce and a past president of the Kiwanis Club of Henry County and Mercer University College of Pharmacy Alumni Association.
In 2011, the Moyes provided the lead gift for the Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex that houses Five Star Stadium on the University’s Macon campus.
About the College of Pharmacy
Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy is ranked the top private pharmacy school in the Southeast, according to the 2020 U.S. News & World Report. The college offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.). Founded in 1903 as the independent Southern School of Pharmacy, the school merged with Mercer University in 1959 and in 1981 became the first school in the Southeast to offer the doctor of pharmacy degree as its sole professional degree. In 1988, the College launched its graduate program, offering the Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutical sciences. With an enrollment today of more than 500 students and a distinguished faculty of basic scientists and clinicians, the College of Pharmacy houses four centers focusing on research, teaching and learning. The college’s motto, “A Tradition of Excellence – A Legacy of Caring,” frames its philosophy of providing excellent academic programs in an environment where every student matters and every person counts. For more information about the college, visit pharmacy.mercer.edu
