ChipChat - February 1999

The spring semester is off to a strong start, but with more than the normal fanfare. First of all it was great to be in San Antonio again this year to see the Boilermakers pull off a stunning victory against a highly ranked Kansas State team. Pharmacy held a reception the day before the game and I was pleased to see so many pharmacy people. It was also nice to have present the parents of Ike Moore, one of our two football-team pharmacy students. Ike, of course, could not attend as the team made final preparations for the game.

The first week of January we received our worst snow storm in several decades. Lots of snow and drifting closed the University on January 4, and some folks could not get in for several days. University Street, the street right by the pharmacy building, had snow drifts of 5 ft or more. They couldn't just push it aside, there was nowhere to push it! It was interesting to see huge front-loaders clearing snow from walkways and parking lots and loading large dump trucks to haul away the white stuff. By the time students returned for classes, most of the problems were solved, except for flooded streets and a lot of slop!

Currently we are in the midst of interviewing students who have applied for admission into the professional programs of the school. About 400 students applied for admission this year, up slightly from last year. About 250 of those students have met the basic requirements and have been scheduled for interviews. We have a terrific group of applicants. We will admit approximately 150 into the Doctor of Pharmacy program and 50 into the B.S. Pharmacy program. By the end of spring break most students will know their status.

If you plan on attending the APhA annual meeting in San Antonio, please drop in for our Monday evening reception. It will be from 5:30-7:30PM on Monday, March 8 in Salon A of the Marriott Rivercenter.

Most of our graduates know Mary Losey. She has been an academic advisor for pharmacy and prepharmacy students for more than 30 years. Mary has announced her retirement effective the end of the current academic year. She has done such an outstanding job in so many areas and will be missed very much. I am pleased to announce that Mary has been selected as the 1998-99 Outstanding Advisor at Purdue University. The award is presented by the Purdue Academic Advising Association (PACADA) in recognition of evidence of Mary's effective advising qualities and practices. Congratulations Mary!

On February 12, pharmacy hosted the Purdue Board of Trustees, President Beering, and Executive Vice-Presidents Ringel and Burns at our new space in Wishard Hospital at the I.U. Medical Center. Also participating were I.U. Medical School Dean Robert Holden, and IUPUI Chancellor Gerald Bepko. Several Doctor of Pharmacy students hosted our guests and provided tours of the facility and described their professional responsibilities and how their education has prepared them for the job market. This was a very meaningful interaction in helping the trustees understand our program.

I've been back in the classroom. I presented 7 lectures in pharmacology to second-year professional students. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to teach and interact with students in this way.

Another way I interact with students is through focus groups. This month I met with small groups of students representing each of the professional years of our Pharm.D. and B.S. programs as well as both years of prepharmacy. The goal is to get feedback from the students - general and specific. They are enthused and pleased to know the dean is interested. They are quite open about what they think is good (most of the program) and what is perceived as problematic. I wrote up dozens of pages of comments to share with department heads and faculty. I think there are some wonderful comments and ideas that can help us strengthen our programs.

I am pleased to announce the names of seven individuals who will be recognized as Distinguished Pharmacy Alumni on April 9. They are Bruce Canaday (B.S.'72), clinical professor, University of North Carolina Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, Wilmington, North Carolina; Albert Jarvis (Ph.D.'48), vice president and consultant, A & M Consulting, Lakeland, Florida; Glenn Knotts (B.S.'56, M.S.'60, Ph.D.'68), executive director, Hermann Eye Fund, Houston, Texas; Robert Lipper (B.S.'73), vice president, biopharmaceutics R&D, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pennington, New Jersey; Kathryn MacFarlane (Pharm.D.'89), director of marketing for atherosclerosis products, Parke-Davis Division, Warner Lambert, Madison, New Jersey; Ceferino Sanchez (Ph.D.'65), National Secretary, Office of Science, Technology & Innovation, Panama; and Robert Wolfangel (Ph.D.'67), director of regulatory affairs, Mallinckrodt Medical, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri. The accomplishements of these men and women are numerous, significant, and wide-ranging. Please join me in offering well deserved congratulations.

Purdue University has instituted a new scholarship, the Academic Success Award, for entering students with high academic credentials. It will automatically be awarded to students who have SAT scores of 1360 or above or ACT scores of 31 or above and rank in the top 5% of their high school graduating classes. The award will continue each year provided the student maintains a 3.5 grade point average. Resident students will receive $1,000 as freshmen, followed by $500 each fall if the 3.5 GPA is maintained. Non-resident students will receive $3,000 their freshman year and $1,000 per year thereafter. These scholarship awards will be a great help in attracting some of the top students to Purdue. Based on historical data, several dozen new prepharmacy students will qualify for these awards annually.