Lipscomb University trustees to consider establishing college of pharmacy in November

 | 

It was decided Thursday that the Lipscomb University Board of Trustees will consider a proposal to establish a college of pharmacy at its next meeting Nov. 4 and 5, President Randy Lowry announced today.

After more than six months of research and consultations with experts, administrators presented to the executive committee of Lipscomb’s board of trustees their recommendation to pursue establishing a college of pharmacy.
 
The executive committee is made up of the chairmen of each board committee. This group meets one month before the full board to determine the agenda for the quarterly board meetings. Today, after an extensive discussion including review of a national consultant’s feasibility study, the committee unanimously agreed to place discussion of the project on the agenda for the full board at its next meeting.

The consultant’s study found that a pharmacy program would be a good fit with Lipscomb’s mission of service to the community, as the demand for pharmacy professionals has exploded in recent years. Tennessee currently has only one pharmacy college in operation and another to begin classes January 2007.

“Our initial study proved that a Lipscomb doctorate of pharmacy would be a valuable addition to the region’s professional education offerings. There are still many miles to go on this journey, but today brought us one step closer to this positive goal,” said Lowry.

A faculty-generated proposal to study establishing a college of pharmacy touched off Lipscomb’s efforts this past spring. Administrators funded the study and as part of the process, brought in a national consultant in pharmacy education, Dr. Joseph Dean, of Birmingham, a former pharmacy school dean who has helped several universities establish pharmacy schools.

Dean’s report confirmed that there is a great demand for pharmacy education nationally, and that Lipscomb should continue to explore whether forming a college would be a good fit for the university.

Based on Dean’s recommendation, officials consulted further with faculty and Lipscomb board members, including Roger Davis, formerly assistant dean for Middle Tennessee with the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy and former associate executive director of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.

Lowry appointed Bledsoe to head a faculty task force, which will address campus culture, fiscal and facility requirements. The task force is an integral step in the process leading to a recommendation to the board of trustees.