Pharmacy Building Named
September 17, 2013
UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications
Brookshire Grocery Company Makes Donation to Name UT Tyler Pharmacy Building
September 17, 2013
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)
September 17, 2013
Media Contact: Beverley Golden
Director
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.566.7303 or 903.330.0495 (cell)
Brookshire Grocery Company has made a donation to The University of Texas at Tyler to name the W.T. Brookshire Pharmacy Building. The announcement was made jointly by UT Tyler President Rodney H. Mabry and BGC President and CEO Rick Rayford.
Brookshire’s board of directors approved the gift to be used toward the construction of the new facility on the UT Tyler campus. The facility will be named for the founder of the grocery company, and it will house the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy.
“We are very happy to have this generous gift to help build the home of our new pharmacy program. This gift will allow us to construct the full-scale facility that we have envisioned, and we are extremely grateful to the board of directors and the Brookshire family for helping to make this a reality,” President Mabry said.
Rick Rayford and Brookshire Grocery Company have been strong local supporters of the initiative to add the college, which will fulfill a workforce need and provide East Texas students access to a course of study that is not available locally or regionally.
“Brookshire Grocery Company made this investment in the pharmacy school at UT Tyler to honor our company’s founder, enhance the educational opportunities in Tyler, and to have a positive impact on the Tyler economy and community,” said Rick Rayford. “Members of BGC’s Board of Directors are pleased to make this donation, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact for years to come.”
Almost 10 years in the making, the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy will be an innovative, self-sustaining program in which UT Tyler will partner with UT Health Northeast on the research to be conducted at the pharmacy school.
UT Tyler founding dean, Dr. Lane Brunner, is leading the accreditation process with the goal of accepting the first class of students in fall 2015.
One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 7,500 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.
Brookshire Grocery Co. operates 153 stores in three states -- Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas -- with three distribution centers and seven manufacturing facilities. Known for friendly service, clean stores and strong community support, BGC has been in operation since 1928. BGC Mission Statement: To provide a great food and shopping experience.