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USF Pharmacy School Is Right Prescription

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 28, 2009

The University of South Florida will seek approval Thursday from the state Board of Governors to develop a pharmacy degree program. Given the state's financial woes - USF has already had to cut its budget by about 15 percent in the last year - this may seem a bad time for the university to be adding programs.

But the governors should see that the degree program would, at little cost, invigorate the state and local economy, bolster Tampa's evolving reputation as a medical education center and further strengthen the region's appeal to research firms that provide high-paying jobs.

Moreover, the program is badly needed. The state university system currently offers only two pharmacy programs - at the University of Florida and Florida A&M.

UF receives some 2,000 applications a year for a program that accepts only 300. Florida A&M receives 1,200 applications and accepts only 150 annually.

Surveys show the state and nation have about a 20 percent shortage of pharmacists. The demand in Florida, with its aging population, is certain to grow. Indeed, the USF program would have a special emphasis on geriatric medicine.

USF, it should be stressed, is not requesting any immediate state funds. The initial $2.5 million to $3 million it would cost to hire the necessary faculty and staff would come through private donations or the reallocation of funds. More than $1 million already has been raised.

And the university should be able to generate even more private support once the governors give the go-ahead.

Ultimately, some state funding would be needed for the four-year program, but the costs would be modest.

The plan is to begin the program in 2011, with the first graduating class in 2015. The first year the school would have 50 students; 75 would be admitted the next year. The following year it would admit 100 new students, the annual admission target.

So it would take six years for the school to reach capacity of 400 students. The degree program then would cost about $10.5 million per year in faculty salaries (a faculty of 40 is projected), lab time and such. But the program would generate about $7.3 million in tuition and fees. Officials estimate the school would need roughly an $8,000 subsidy per student from the state.

The return on that investment should be great.

Dr. Kevin Sneed, an associate professor at the USF Department of Family Medicine who is spearheading the pharmacy effort, says the school's first two years of graduates would generate $12 million in salaries. He estimates the 125 graduating students would average more than $100,000 a year.

Sneed says, "You are talking about high-paying jobs, about producing skilled graduates who are workforce ready. And the vast majority of graduates will likely remain in Florida."

The pharmacy program would increase opportunities for research grants and for partnerships with private research and manufacturing companies.

As USF President Judy Genshaft puts it, the pharmacy proposal represents an education need and an economic opportunity.

USF's medical school already has become a focal point for the region's efforts to attract and nurture the biotech industry. Adding pharmacy to USF's degrees in medicine, nursing, public health and physical therapy would solidify the school's reputation as a hub for medical studies and research.

The Board of Governors should recognize that the USF pharmacy school plan - at no cost now and only a small commitment later - would help the state address the certain need for pharmacists while also giving the economy a shot in the arm.

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