Middle Tennessee's first student pharmacists launch doctorate studies with prayer

Janel Shoun | 08/07/2008

Lipscomb University’s College of Pharmacy was the first one in Middle Tennessee ready on day one as 75 new pharmacy students met today before their first class to pray for blessings on the program.

The entire class got out of bed extra early on Wednesday, Aug. 13, to gather on the steps of the newly renovated Burton Health Sciences Center and solicit God’s blessings on the brand new program, Lipscomb’s first doctoral program.

They were led in prayer by Walter Leaver, vice president of university relations and minister at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ, and pharmacy Dean Roger Davis. After a time of personal prayer, the new student pharmacists heard the tolling of the bell 75 times, one for each student in the inaugural class.

“We have an incredible inaugural class and we are so excited about their futures and how their commitment to a profession of service will impact this community and the world,” said Davis. “We have already seen this class display a high level of enthusiasm about their futures at student events this summer. They have a true pioneering spirit.”

After the special prayer session, Middle Tennessee’s first student pharmacists took up their textbooks and headed to class in Burton, recently renovated using green construction methods, making it the healthiest health science building on a college campus in the Southeast.

On their first day in Middle Tennessee’s first College of Pharmacy, the student’s are studying physiologic basis of therapeutics, biomolecular chemistry and pharmaceutics.

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These pharmacy pioneers started their new college careers off with a week packed with two days of orientation, the prayer session before their first class, and a ceremony for friends and family on Friday, Aug. 15, where students will receive their first white lab coat. Former Gov. Winfield Dunn will make comments at the “white coat” ceremony, launching the students into their new chosen field.

Prior to this year, Middle Tennessee students had to travel to Memphis or Johnson City in order to study pharmacy within the state. In addition, no private school pharmacy education was available until this fall.

Students from as far away as California, Michigan and Florida have enrolled in Lipscomb’s pharmacy program, which offers a much needed service to the residents of Tennessee, said Davis.

The National Pharmacist Workforce Study predicts a shortfall of as many as 157,000 pharmacists by 2020. As manpower decreases, demand for pharmacist services is increasing with growth in the number of patients, an older population, and pharmacists desiring to be more involved in dispensing medication, providing preventive health care and drug therapy decision-making.

“As the baby boomer population ages and federal officials consider how to fill the needs of seniors, pharmacists will play an increasingly important role in the lives of Americans,” Davis said. “These students are coming along at a very exciting time in health care, and we plan to prepare them to be not just health care servers, but to be researchers and leaders as well.”

The student pharmacists will be studying in the newly renovated, 44,000-square-foot Burton Health Sciences Center. The $6.8 million renovation project has added four laboratories, new lecture halls and a historical pharmaceuticals display to Burton.

The building is expected to become the first U.S. Green Building Council-certified “green” classroom building on a Tennessee college campus. A ribbon-cutting for Burton will be held at 2:15 p.m., Tuesday, August 26, at the main entrance of Burton facing University Park Drive. A lemonade reception will follow at 3:30 p.m. on Bison Square.

Click here for more details on Burton's "green" makeover.

John Jantz, a Furhman University graduate from Lebanon, Tenn., said he chose to come to Lipscomb over other pharmacy colleges because the new building provided such good facilities and the Lipscomb faculty were friendly and experienced.

“All the pharmacists I have worked with really want to help people,” said Jantz, who has worked as a pharmacy employee since his graduation two years ago. “I have seen community pharmacy at work, and now I would like to learn about the other pharmacy fields. I like the ability in this field to make a difference.”

Lipscomb University announced in September 2006 it would create the third pharmacy college in the state, the first in Middle Tennessee. Davis, former assistant dean for Middle Tennessee at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, was appointed dean of Lipscomb’s college in January 2007.

In the past year and a half, Lipscomb has hired 13 faculty, has signed more than 50educational affiliation agreements with health care facilities, pharmacies and hospitals, and created joint faculty appointments with Vanderbilt University.

In June, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) granted precandidate status to the Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy, giving it a green light to enroll its first class of student pharmacists. Achievement of pre-candidate status does not guarantee approval at the candidate or full accreditation level.