enlarge Jack Milton/Staff Photographer

Portland city officials on Thursday toured the nearly completed University of New England College of Pharmacy building on Stevens Avenue, which is expected to open in September.

enlarge Jack Milton/Staff Photographer

John Schloss, left, chairman of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New England College of Pharmacy, talks with Portland Mayor Jill Duson, wearing green, and City Manager Joseph Gray, to her left, during Thursday’s tour of the new building under construction in Portland.

MORE ONLINE

Watch an animated video and see floor plans of the new building.

PORTLAND — The new College of Pharmacy at the University of New England is on track to welcome its first class of 100 students in September, school officials said Thursday.

Construction of the college's $12.3 million building on Stevens Avenue in Portland is expected to be completed in July. The college has accepted and received $500 deposits from 79 students so far, and positions are filling up fast, officials said.

The college received 790 applications for its first class, with interest coming from as far away as California, Utah, Texas and the Republic of Ghana, in West Africa.

"People are looking for a good pharmacy school," said John Cormier, college dean. He noted that thousands of students get turned away each year from the nation's 113 established pharmacy schools.

UNE is one of two Maine universities planning to start pharmacy schools this fall. The other is Husson University in Bangor. Both schools are seeking initial program approval from the national Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

Both schools also are trying to answer a growing national need for pharmacists that stems from an aging population and an expanding health care system.

In 2002, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy predicted a need for 157,000 pharmacists and 15 new pharmacy schools by 2020. Seventy percent of hospital pharmacies described the shortage of experienced pharmacists as "severe," while public hospitals in particular reported an average vacancy rate of 11 percent.

In Maine, Pharmacy Manpower Project Inc. ranked the need here for pharmacists among the highest in the nation. The state Department of Labor reported a 3.7 percent vacancy rate for pharmacist positions.

To encourage Mainers to apply to the new pharmacy school at UNE, the college offered state residents a five-point advantage in the selection process and $5,000 annual scholarships, Cormier said. As a result, about 30 of the 79 students accepted so far are Mainers.

The college's first class also will be ethnically diverse, Cormier said, although no diversity targets were set.

A breakdown of the first 67 accepted students showed that 39 were women and 28 were men. Thirty-nine of the students identified themselves as white; five as black; five as Indian or Pakistani; two as Mexican or Chicano; two as Vietnamese; two as Asian or Pacific Islander; and one each as Native American, Korean and Chinese. Nine didn't specify a race.

Ultimately, the college will have a four-year enrollment of 400 students and will employ 47 faculty and staff, with a yearly payroll of $3.5 million, said John Schloss, chairman of pharmaceutical sciences.

Students will learn the age-old skill of mixing medical compounds, along with the latest research in drug development and nutrient metabolism. To deter people from breaking in, scheduled drugs, such as oxycodone and codeine, won't be kept on the premises, Schloss said.

Several Portland officials toured the four-story structure Thursday afternoon to get a first glimpse of the school's layout and planned amenities.

"We're very excited," said Mayor Jill Duson. "This is a great addition to the allied health profession programs already on UNE's Portland campus. We think our city will be a great attraction for students in the pharmacy school."

Designed by Port City Architecture and built by Allied/Cook Construction, the 48,000-square-foot building will house a variety of classroom, research, study and administrative spaces. It includes environmentally friendly building materials and an energy-saving heating-and-cooling system.

UNE will furnish the school with the latest media technology and research equipment using a $1 million grant from Hannaford Bros. supermarkets and a $4 million grant from the Maine Technology Asset Fund, which was established by a $50 million research-and-development bond.

UNE, which also has a campus...