Program designed to increase numbers of pharmacy professionals in southern Missouri
SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Missouri Governor Jay Nixon was joined by leaders from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and Missouri State University (MSU) today in Springfield to announce the signing of an agreement that will allow students on the MSU campus to enroll in UMKC’s Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program. The announcement was made at a special ceremony at the MSU Brick City Gallery in downtown Springfield, where representatives from the two universities signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the program to the MSU campus.
“From small towns to big cities, Missouri needs more pharmacists,” said Gov. Nixon. “When we launched the Caring for Missourians program in 2009, this was exactly the sort of collaboration and innovation we had in mind. This initiative is helping prepare our students with the education and skills they need to have a successful career in a health care field that is in demand. Working together with our universities and colleges, we’re continuing to invest in our workforce to grow our economy and move Missouri in the right direction.”
The UMKC Pharm.D. program expansion to MSU was developed in response to current and projected shortages of pharmacy professionals in the state, particularly in underserved rural areas. With support from Gov. Nixon’s Caring for Missourians initiative, this collaboration will train pharmacy professionals to serve pharmacy healthcare needs in the southern region of Missouri. The location of the program in Springfield at MSU makes the UMKC pharmacy program more accessible for students living in the southwest region of Missouri.
Launched in fall 2009, Caring for Missourians was a one-time investment of $40 million to increase the number of pharmacists, nurses, physicians, dentists and other health professionals being educated at Missouri’s public colleges and universities. Colleges and universities developed individual plans for how they would invest their Caring for Missourians funds.
“We very much appreciate the support of Governor Nixon and the Missouri General Assembly in advocating for this important program and funding it in a very difficult budget year,” said MSU Interim President Clif Smart. “I think that speaks to the importance of establishing this program in southern Missouri. Lots of people have worked on this for two years, so we are gratified to see it become a reality.”
The UMKC School of Pharmacy at MSU is modeled after the successful UMKC at MU site, which was launched at the University of Missouri campus in Columbia in 2005. As with the MU site, students at the MSU site will benefit from the strong healthcare and practice site facilities available in Springfield once students begin their practice rotations. All three sites will be linked by state-of-the-art instructional technology.
“The University of Missouri is committed to educating more pharmacists throughout the state to help offset the increasing shortages in this critical area,” said UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton. “The new UMKC pharmacy program site at MSU — like the site established at MU — will help meet the need by increasing the number of pharmacy graduates by about 20 percent a year.”
The UMKC School of Pharmacy’s fully accredited Pharm.D. degree requires two years of pre-requisite coursework for admission into the professional program. The four-year professional curriculum features a combination of basic and clinical science coursework, technical skills training, practice administration education, and experiential learning opportunities. The UMKC Pharm.D. program’s comprehensive curriculum ensures that graduates are prepared for highly-competitive, in-demand careers in a wide variety of pharmacy practice settings.
“This collaboration is a perfect illustration of new synergies that are being created between academic institutions across our state,” said UM System Interim President Stephen J. Owens. “This program and this partnership can serve as a model for us as we to continue to explore new and creative ways to combine scholarship and technology to serve the needs of the people of Missouri.”
In a related announcement, UMKC and MSU announced that the PharmD Program will be housed in Downtown Springfield. The two institutions have agreed to partner on the 60,000-square-foot Building 1, the final building in Brick City, to provide a location for UMKC’s School of Pharmacy. UMKC’s School of Pharmacy will begin offering the four-year professional portion of its Doctorate in Pharmacy in Building 1 beginning in the fall of 2014. Approximately 15,000-square-feet will be renovated on the fourth floor for UMKC to include faculty offices, classroom and teaching laboratory spaces all equipped with the latest distance education technologies. For more information, visit pharmacy.umkc.edu/programs/msu/.
About the University of Missouri-Kansas City
The University of Missouri-Kansas City, one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.
About the UMKC School of Pharmacy
Founded in 1885, the UMKC School of Pharmacy is the only public school of pharmacy in the state of Missouri. The School offers professional practice (doctor of pharmacy-Pharm.D.), non-practice bachelors (B.S.) and graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) degrees. The School of Pharmacy is committed to providing an atmosphere that promotes life-long learning by helping students develop both the knowledge and skills needed to be a pharmacy professional in an ever-changing health-care environment. For more information about the UMKC School of Pharmacy, visit pharmacy.umkc.edu. You can also find the School of Pharmacy on Facebook and follow the School on Twitter.
About Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public, comprehensive university system with a mission in public affairs, whose purpose is to develop educated persons while guided by three overarching and enduring commitments to student learning, inclusive excellence and institutional impact. The University’s identity is distinguished by its statewide mission in public affairs, which entails a campus-wide commitment to foster competence and responsibility in ethical leadership, cultural competence and community engagement. For more information about MSU, visit www.missouristate.edu. You can also be our fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and see what’s happening on YouTube.
About Brick City
Brick City in downtown Springfield is a multi-phase renovation project and part of the IDEA Commons development at Missouri State University, an urban innovation park that is blended with residential, retail, commercial and entertainment facilities, and supported by multidisciplinary University programs. This unique project brings together the elements of Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship and Arts (IDEA) and is an example of how the University continues to be engaged in promoting the community’s livability and economic success. The major facilities currently in IDEA Commons include the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center, the Robert W. Plaster Center for Free Enterprise and Business Development, and Brick City. To date, these entities have created about 100 jobs at an average salary of $68,000 and generated about $100 million grants and equipment purchases.