The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy and Dean Marie Chisholm-Burns, PharmD, MPH, MBA, FCCP, FASHP, FAST, are committed to giving back to the students, with over 50 percent of the UTHSC College of Pharmacy student body receiving scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year.
The school recently awarded 52 new scholarships for the spring, bringing the total scholarships awarded up to 429 for the year. Fifty-one percent of the P2-P4 classes and 84 percent of the P1 class have been awarded a scholarship.
“Receiving this scholarship helps me in several ways. Not only does it relieve some of my financial burden, but it also encourages me to work hard academically as a student,” Tyler Egawa, a P2 student on the Knoxville Campus said. “It gives me a drive to become the best student pharmacist I can be out in the community. The UTHSC College of Pharmacy has been nothing but supportive throughout my time here. It really shows me that the College truly cares about each of their students and wholeheartedly wants to help in any way to see their students succeed. Receiving a scholarship from the college gives me a desire to want to give back to students of the college of pharmacy in the future.”
“Any form of financial aid helps me a great deal because I am taking out loans to attend school,” Suzanne Capocaccia, a P3 student on the Memphis campus said. “I have a few away rotations so this scholarship will help with the extra financial burden. It means a great deal that the faculty and graduates here want to give back to the students. We give a great deal to the community and this shows that it is recognized.”
One of the scholarships awarded for this spring was the first from the UTHSC College of Pharmacy Faculty and Staff Endowed Scholarship Fund. Dr. Chisholm-Burns established the scholarship as a way for the faculty and staff to give back to the students. One-hundred percent of faculty in the College have contributed to the scholarship and the College has raised more than $29,000, exceeding the endowment goal of $25,000.
“I have a dream that one day all students who are in financial need will have scholarship funds available to them,” said Dr. Chisholm-Burns. “We are the only college in the health sciences center that has a faculty and staff endowed scholarship. It was a first for this campus, and as always, the College of Pharmacy is eager to lead the way.”
Wade Dickerson, who is in his third year of pharmacy school, is the first recipient of the scholarship. He was chosen from an applicant pool of students who demonstrated financial need, academic aptitude, and involvement with the College and the local community.
“Honestly I feel extremely honored to be selected,” said Dickerson. “It makes a lot of sense to me that our faculty and staff would want to give to our students. We have a very close relationship with our faculty and staff. It doesn’t surprise me that our college would do a scholarship of this manner.”
According to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the average amount borrowed from 2017 graduates who attended a public institution is $136,328. Faculty and staff in the College wanted to ease pharmacy students’ financial burdens that may come with attending professional school, so that students can focus on their studies and be involved in the college through student organizations and public service.
In October, the College of Pharmacy hosted luncheons for the recipients and donors of endowed scholarships in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. This gave the students and donors an opportunity to meet and socialize.
