Messenger-Inquirer on February 22, 2018
UK to KWC: ‘Welcome to the Pharmily’
School will partner with University of Kentucky’s College of Pharmacy
Kentucky Wesleyan College announced Thursday the school will begin a partnership with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy that will both save students money and shorten the amount of time it will take to receive a degree.
This is the fifth collaborative partnership of this kind the school has introduced in the past year and follows in the footsteps of the University of Kentucky School of Medicine that KWC partnered with last summer.
Through this accelerated partnership with UK’s College of Pharmacy, students will be enrolled in a three-plus-four program that allows them to spend three years studying pre-pharmacy at KWC and then transfer to UK for four years while they complete their doctor of pharmacy degree. After they complete their first year at UK, they will have earned a bachelor of chemistry degree from KWC, according to a Wesleyan news release.
Qualifying students will also “receive priority applicant status during the admissions process,” the release said.
KWC President Bart Darrell said during a news conference Thursday in the school’s Winchester Center that the school’s leaders understand the importance of keeping the cost of higher education as low as possible, and the importance of speeding up the process to enter the workplace.
“This new collaboration with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy is the latest extension of our work together to most efficiently and economically produce pharmacists for the benefit of the commonwealth of Kentucky and people in other states where our students may choose to reside,” he said.
Jason Mitchell, director of enrollment management for the UK College of Pharmacy, said this partnership will be win-win for both schools, and that it “marks a pivotal moment.”
“Today is bigger than either institution,” he said. “Today we mark the beginning of impacting health care throughout our great commonwealth, the region, the nation and the world because our students at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy make big impacts in the world of pharmacy.”
He said the UK College of Pharmacy refers to itself and the students who attend as “pharmily,” and that he is excited for the collaboration between schools because they already “have a longstanding relationship” with KWC students.
“It is with great pride that I say thank you and welcome to the pharmily,” he said.
Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315, Twitter: @BobbieHayseMI
News Release
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Owensboro, Ky. (Feb. 22, 2018) – Kentucky Wesleyan College is pleased to announce a new significant partnership with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy; an accelerated 3+4 program which will allow students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a Doctor of Pharmacy with one less year of coursework, allowing them to enter the workplace sooner. The partnership comes on the heels of the Early Assurance Program launched by Wesleyan with the UK College of Medicine in July of last year.
Qualifying Wesleyan students will receive priority applicant status during the admissions process, and participating students will attend Kentucky Wesleyan in the Pre-Pharmacy Program for three years and transfer to the University of Kentucky for the four-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program. Students will earn the Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Kentucky Wesleyan following completion of their first year of pharmacy school at UK.
“Kentucky Wesleyan College is proud to add yet another high-level academic partnership that will give our students opportunities in the professions that students at other schools don’t have and that save our students thousands of dollars,” said Wesleyan President Barton D. Darrell. “Kentucky Wesleyan’s strong academics are recognized across the country and our sciences are entering into yet another partnership with the University of Kentucky because of this strength. We recently announced that the University of Kentucky College of Medicine is reserving slots in its new medical school campus in Bowling Green for our students. Now we are proud to partner with the University of Kentucky’s College of Pharmacy to offer an affordable and nationally recognized pharmacy education for our students.
”Kentucky Wesleyan has a long tradition of excellence in the sciences and preparing our students for medical and professional schools. The University of Kentucky and Kentucky Wesleyan have long worked together to produce great doctors, dentists, physical therapists, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals. This new collaboration with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy is the latest extension of our work together to most efficiently and economically produce pharmacists for the benefit of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and people in other states where our students may choose to reside.”
“This noteworthy agreement is a reflection of the long and successful relationship Wesleyan has enjoyed with the UK College of Pharmacy, and of the excellent reputation of our health sciences programs,” shared Wesleyan Professor of Chemistry Dr. W.L. Magnuson. “I’m very pleased and excited for our students.”
Dr. Jason Mitchell, director of enrollment management for the UK College of Pharmacy, remarked, “The University of Kentucky is pleased to enhance our relationship with Kentucky Wesleyan College in this new partnership, which is a win/win for both institutions, and most importantly, for our students. I’m honored to be on campus today. Kentucky Wesleyan has a superior reputation for academic rigor and excellence. You send us the best, and we look forward to welcoming your well-prepared students into this new program.”
“I received a quality education as a chemistry major at Kentucky Wesleyan College and at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy,” said Sara (Collins) Rafferty ’11. “Wesleyan provided an intimate classroom setting with challenging coursework that prepared me well for the rigorous program I encountered at the University of Kentucky. Earning my degrees from both institutions prepared me for a successful life. This partnership means success for so many future students, and I’m thrilled.” Rafferty is a pharmacist in Owensboro.
Over the past 12 months, Kentucky Wesleyan College has announced five collaborative partnerships, including:
• University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, 4+3 Accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy program
• University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, 3+3 Accelerated Law Program
• University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Early Assurance Program at Bowling Green campus
• Western Kentucky University Gordon Ford College of Business, Preferred Partner Program
• Emory University Candler School of Theology, automatic admission and guaranteed scholarships for qualifying students
Other Media Coverage By Eyewitness News on TristateHomepage.com
Kentucky Wesleyan announces pharmacy program partnership
Aspiring pharmacy students will be able to finish school sooner thanks to a new partnership in Kentucky.
The collaboration between Kentucky Wesleyan College and University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy was announced on Thursday.
The Accelerated 3+4 Program allows students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a doctor of pharmacy with one less year of course work.
Pharmacy students will attend KWC for the first three years then transfer to UK for the pharmacy doctorate program.
“This program is definitely gonna set you up for success,” said CVS Staff Pharmacist Sara Rafferity. “No doubt about it. You’re gonna get the very best education here at Wesleyan that’ll prepare you for the extreme rigorous coursework that you’ll endure at the college of pharmacy, but both are necessary.”
The new partnership is the latest in several collaborations KWC has announced over the past year.
(This story was originally published on Feb. 22, 2018)