The College of Pharmacy is currently in the self-study phase of the accreditation process. This process used to be known for causing “premature aging of the college leadership and deans,” said Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., inviting a round of knowing chuckles from the audience at his monthly chancellor’s forum yesterday.
But pharmacy dean Keith Olsen, Pharm.D., Dr. Gold’s special guest in the November all-campus “town hall” meeting format, said his college has found it invigorating.
“It puts the faculty in position to start asking questions they might not ordinarily have done,” Dr. Olsen said. He noted that the College of Pharmacy has an outstanding first-time pass board rate, “But we want to be leaders.”
He said the UNMC College of Pharmacy is looking ahead to try to figure out the best ways to educate and train students 10 years from now.
Drs. Gold and Olsen also touched on pharmacy’s innovative “Operation Immunization” program, which gave the chancellor his annual flu shot. Both strongly recommended flu immunization for those at risk in the Med Center community.
In addition to its educational efforts, Dr. Olsen noted that his college has researchers hard at work up on the third floor and across the campus. Pharmacy research has resulted in several new patents and the Most Promising New Invention at UNeMed’s Research Innovation Awards.
An email-submitted question asked about possible joint programs with UNO. Dr. Olsen said the college is looking at how Big Ten peer institutions offer a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences. Dr. Gold also was supportive of the idea.
The chancellor also addressed several other topics:
- He thanked the campus for a warm reception for Walter “Ted” Carter, VADM (Ret.), the priority candidate to serve as the University of Nebraska’s eighth president. Dr. Gold urged the UNMC community to send any feedback on Carter’s candidacy to the NU Board of Regents.
- Dr. Gold recently returned from a trip to Japan to visit Shizuoka University, UNO’s sister university, and its affiliated hospitals and medical school. “I see a tremendous amount of collaboration potential,” he said.
- “We are hoping to have an announcement relatively soon,” on a new director for the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, he said. Dr Cowan continues his active leadership.
- The search for the assistant vice chancellor for inclusion is “in a data-gathering mode,” Dr. Gold said. Both candidates are outstanding people. Send feedback here.
- The Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center has a tentative move-in date of Dec. 15, with dedication activities planned for the week of April 21. The Training, Simulation, Quarantine Center (TSQC) is open and operational and has been since Oct. 1.
- “We continue to raise a lot of dust” on the McGoogan Library, Wittson Hall, Wigton Heritage Center and Williams Science Hall construction projects. Completion is set for early 2021. Same for the new Munroe-Meyer Institute home on Pine Street at Aksarben.
- Speaking of construction, UNMC is undertaking a master campus facilities plan with Nebraska Medicine. The continued need for growth is “insatiable,” the chancellor said. “It’s really a good problem to have.”
- Dr. Gold addressed a recent “hateful note” left on the car of a UNO student last week: “If we truly profess to be a welcoming campus, we all own that culture. We all have to live it.” He continued: “UNO and the Med Center embody a welcoming environment.”
- Finally, Dr. Gold wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving: “I want to tell you how thankful I am,” he said. “And I am deeply grateful and enthusiastically look forward to our future.”