MUSC Board of Trustees, leadership celebrate new College of Pharmacy, re-imagined Colbert Education Center and Library

CHARLESTON, S.C. (April 14, 2023) – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) Board of Trustees held their regularly scheduled committee sessions and board meeting on April 13 and 14, respectively. 

Board members received information from Lisa Saladin, P.T., Ph.D., MUSC provost, regarding the new College of Pharmacy building and the re-imagined James W. Colbert Education Center and Library ahead of a celebration planned for the new facilities on the morning of April 14.

“Our mission is to attract the best and brightest students and to create an environment for them that fosters learning and student engagement,” Saladin said. “This project advances that mission by providing new state-of-the-art classrooms and study spaces for all students and by providing the College of Pharmacy a much-needed new facility to train the next generation of pharmacists. Both of these facilities will enhance the student experience at MUSC and advance our culture of innovation.”

James Lemon, D.M.D., MUSC Board of Trustees chairman, praised those involved with the projects and commended “the leadership and tenacity of Drs. Cole and Saladin and Dean Hall in ensuring that our students have facilities that not only allow for the accumulation of important and practical knowledge but that also seek to inspire innovative thinking and serve the holistic needs of each student who passes through the doors of these buildings.”

MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, said, “Thousands of MUSC students become accomplished and skilled health care providers who go on to serve our patients, our communities and our state, and all of them have the capacity to play an important role in transforming the future of health care through their chosen discipline. So, while what we are celebrating today is our bricks and mortar investment in the educational experience, it is more a celebration of the culture of innovation and vision for a brighter future that exists at MUSC.” 

In addition to the recognition and celebration of these education mission milestones, Saladin reported that there would be no tuition increases for in-state students in any of the six MUSC colleges in the next year, continuing the trend of not increasing in-state tuition, thanks to tuition mitigation funds provided by the South Carolina Legislature since 2018. 

The MUSC/MUHA Board of Trustees serve as separate bodies to govern the University and hospital, normally holding two days of committee and board meetings six times a year. For more information about the MUSC Board of Trustees, visit its web page. 

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About MUSC 

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $298 million in research funds in fiscal year 2022, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned and equity stake), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development; more than 350 telehealth sites and connectivity to patients’ homes; and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2022, for the eighth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.1 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.