College of Pharmacy receives full accreditation completing six years of hard work
Kim Chaudoin |
The Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy, the first pharmacy college established in Middle Tennessee, has been granted full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). This completes a six-year process that began when the program was officially announced in 2006 and came to fruition when the college awarded its first degrees at this year’s spring commencement and was then granted full accreditation status by the council..
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“This recognition culminates years of intense planning and implementation to establish the College of Pharmacy. It has been a team effort in building this program from the ground up by more than 300 student pharmacists, more than 40 faculty and staff members, 350 preceptors as well as the vision and leadership of the university’s administration and board of trustees and the entire Lipscomb community,” said Roger Davis, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “The full accreditation is testimony to the faith, tenacity and hard work of these individuals and to their continuing belief in the unique mission of professional education in a faith based institution.”
The accreditation process determines that the College has demonstrated to the satisfaction of ACPE that the program complies with accreditation standards, including the appropriateness of the program’s mission and goals, the adequacy of resources and organization to meet the mission and goals, outcomes which indicate that the mission and goals are being met, and the reasonable assurance of the continued compliance with standards.
On May 5, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences set a historic milestone for the university when it awarded doctoral degrees for the first time in the institution’s history. The first graduating class was composed of 71 student pharmacists. Graduating the college’s first class was the significant milestone in achieving full accreditation by ACPE. The college had previously been awarded candidate status by ACPE and had its final accreditation site visit in April. Full accreditation status is retroactive to this graduating class.
“We are very pleased with the progress the college has made as we have built it over the last six years. We’ve been able to create a real home for our student pharmacists. It’s exciting to see people whom you have invested in and have helped build a career ready to go out and practice their skills. We are extremely excited about what we’ve accomplished and what our graduates will do to improve the health status of their patients,” said Davis.
Lipscomb’s journey toward establishing a college of pharmacy began with a faculty-generated proposal to study the possibility. The founding of the program was approved in November 2006 by the Lipscomb board of trustees after months of research and feasibility studies. Board members and administrators determined that a college of pharmacy at Lipscomb would be a positive step in addressing the need for highly qualified pharmacists throughout the nation. Due in part to a rapidly aging population demanding more health care services, the need for pharmacists and pharmacy-related health care services nationwide has remained high.
This August, the college will admit its fifth class. It has distinguished itself among most pharmacy programs by its faith-based approach to pharmacy education, and has continued to grow, working toward graduate programs in the pharmaceutical sciences and informatics, building a pharmacy research building expected to be completed by fall 2013, developing residency programs and planning a new university health services facility to be constructed soon.
“We’ve been able to create a community — a community for learning and skill development that really is exceptional in terms of its focus and content. This community is first of all about Christian education, and it’s about the mutual supportive nature that our faculty and staff give to our students. Our success is that we’ve created a very holistic pharmacy practitioner who values, service and appreciates the knowledge and skills with which they’ve been blessed,” said Davis.
About the Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy
The College of Pharmacy at Lipscomb University is dedicated to preparing students for their role as pharmacists, by combining rigorous academics in a faith-based approach.
Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences’ Doctor of Pharmacy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 135 South LaSalle Street, Suite 4100, Chicago, IL 60503, 312/664-3575; FAX 312/664-4652. Web site www.acpe-accredit.org. The accreditation term granted for Lipscomb’s program extends until June 30, 2014.
About the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is the national agency for the accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education. ACPE was established in 1932 for the accreditation of pre-service education, and in 1975 its scope of activity was broadened to include accreditation of providers of continuing pharmacy education.
ACPE is an autonomous and independent agency whose board of directors is derived through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) (three appointments each), and the American Council on Education (ACE) (one appointment).
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| The graduation of the Class of 2012 was the last step toward full accreditation, following a final site visit in April. |