Avera Health and Science Center

The Avera Health and Science Center opened July 2010 and features 97,000 square feet of teaching, laboratory and office space as well as 48,600 square feet of research laboratory space.

Building Description

Built and equipped at a cost of $50 million with a lead gift of $15 million from Avera Health, the building was dedicated Sept. 9, 2010, with Julie Gerberding, former CDC director, as the featured speaker.

Each floor of the building has laboratories in the center, with offices around the outskirts, along with designated study rooms. The lowest level of the building has large lecture halls. The first floor has offices for the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions and the College of Natural Sciences. The main office for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is on the second floor in room 247. Labs on the first floor are primarily for pharmacy. Second and third-floor labs are used for chemistry and biochemistry, with the third floor also used for medical laboratory science.

Shepard Hall, which now serves as the north wing of the center, was completely remodeled into modern research labs as the final phase of this project. Shephard Hall honors Professor James Shepard, the first head of the Department of Chemistry and director of the Experiment Station. He introduced laboratory chemistry to complement classroom teaching and was credited with developing the first pharmacy curriculum when it was added to chemistry offerings in 1889. He is predominately known for his research on sugar beets and developing a super strain.

College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions

Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics

College of Natural Sciences