Cumberlands studying plan to open new College of Pharmacy

The University of the Cumberlands could soon have the distinction of being only one of two colleges in the state of Kentucky with a school of pharmacy.
University President Dr. Jim Taylor said Tuesday the school tentatively plans to open a new pharmacy school within the next two years, and plans to construct a $10 million facility for pharmacy students and faculty.
Taylor points to the fact that 70 million workers will be retiring in the next decade, many of whom are pharmacists, and that the average person takes about seven different medications daily as clear evidence of the need for the school.
“Once you take into consideration the number of pharmacists that are retiring, then you add the number of people that require medication, you begin to understand the need for additional pharmacists, particularly here in the mountains,” Taylor said. “We tend to grown our own. A good number of the doctors, lawyers, pharmacists and so on here in the mountains are our graduates.”
Taylor said Cumberlands’ students have traditionally been strong in math and science subjects. The school requires all students complete some science courses, regardless of major.
The school has hired a Texas-based firm to conduct a feasibility study of the proposal. Taylor said a rough draft of that study has been provided to university administrators, but a final report is not yet complete.
“We have to still figure in all of the clinical facilities that will be necessary,” Taylor said. “Pharmacists have to go out just like doctors and do internships.”
Future pharmacy students at U of C would have to complete four years of post-graduate work. Plans call for the school to hire about 40 new faculty members.
“It will definitely be a big boon to Williamsburg.”
Taylor said the University of Kentucky is the only other state university with a College of Pharmacy, and interest in the profession is high. About 1,050 students qualified last year for only 100 available slots at the school. U of C plans to offer about 75 slots a year to applicants.
A pharmacy school would be the newest addition in U of C’s aggressive construction schedule. Two years ago, the college opened Independence Hall to house the school of business. Taylor said an $8.1 million project to upgrade the current science building, and build a new adjacent structure, is in the works. Facilities for a school of pharmacy would be located near the science building on the Williamsburg campus. The structure would likely be constructed with financial assistance from the state.
Taylor said State Senate President David Williams (R-Burkesville), who represents Whitley County, has been instrumental in plans for the school.
“He brought it to our attention that there is a real need we could fulfill,” Taylor said. “He’s the one that’s really helped us and encouraged us to get the feasibility study.”