The College of Notre Dame broke ground on a 25,000-square-foot building to house its new School of Pharmacy on Friday, a project that will allow the school to expand from 70 to 300 students. Notre Dame opened the school last fall in response to studies that showed an underserved demand for pharmacy education in Maryland. The co-educational college, the first of its kind on a traditionally all-women's campus, chose its initial class of 70 from 500 applicants but has received 950 applications for the 70 spots in next year's class. Construction on the $13 million project is expected to be complete by summer 2011. U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, who helped secure federal money for the project, said the expanded school will "help close a gap that could seriously affect our nation's delivery of health care services."

childs.walker@baltsun.com