wfn.org | Newsline: Manchester College launching School of Pharmacy

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl Brumbau gh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

MANCHESTER COLLEGE TO LAUNCH SCHOOL FOR PHARMACISTS IN FORT WAYNE

(Nov. 3, 2009) Elgin, IL -- Manchester College will begin the accreditation  process for a School of Pharmacy in Fort Wayne, Ind., with unanimous appro val given by its Board of Trustees. Manchester College is a Church of the B rethren-related school in North Manchester, Ind.

The college plans to enroll its first students in the four-year Doctor of P harmacy program in the fall of 2012. This is the 121-year-old baccalaureate  college's first venture into a doctoral program and into a satellite campu s. It will be the only Doctor of Pharmacy program in northern Indiana.

"Graduate education for pharmacists is a natural fit with Manchester Colleg e," said president Jo Young Switzer. Manchester has a strong reputation in  the sciences, particularly for preparing students for medical and graduate  school. The college also emphasizes service learning.

Fort Wayne is a natural fit for the new venture. In addition to numerous me dical facilities and opportunities for pharmacy practicum experiences, Fort  Wayne offers many amenities attractive to the school's 250 students, 40 fa culty and staff members, and their families.

"The decision by Manchester College to start a PharmD program in Fort Wayne  is a wonderful investment of financial and intellectual capital in our cit y," said mayor Tom Henry. "As the health care sector continues to grow in F ort Wayne and northeast Indiana, Manchester College's expansion of professi onal programs is going to be key in creating the highly skilled, highly edu cated workforce employers demand."

The average starting salary for pharmacists exceeds $100,000 and demand in  the highly competitive profession is expected to grow more than 20 percent  in the coming decade, said Switzer. The college's research indicates many p harmacy graduates--who come from throughout the nation--remain in the commu nities where they study. Said Switzer, "During our exploration, many told u s that this project aligns well with other initiatives undertaken in northe ast Indiana to strengthen the economy here."

Admission to Manchester's new school will require two years of pre-pharmacy  coursework. The college will add that program to its undergraduate curricu lum in North Manchester and its students will compete with pre-pharmacy stu dents from other colleges and universities for seats in the School of Pharm acy.

The college has not finalized its plans for a Fort Wayne site for the new s chool, which will require at least 35,000 square feet for classrooms, offic es, and laboratories. The pharmacy school will be a part of Manchester Coll ege and governed by the college's Board of Trustees.

The search for a founding dean and building of a leadership team will begin  immediately. That team will begin preparing the school's application for a ccreditation.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continu ing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in  community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith t raditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated it s 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 125,000 members across the Unit ed States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria,  Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

(This release was provided by Jeri S. Kornegay, Director of Media and Publi c Relations, Manchester College.)

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org