MU pharmacy program wins approval to start this fall

HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University's new doctoral pharmacy program has been granted pre-candidate accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education board of directors.

University officials were notified earlier this week of the decision, which was made last week at the biannual meeting following a recommendation from the team that made a site visit the first week of May.

Pre-candidate status means the School of Pharmacy is authorized to start teaching its inaugural class of up to 80 students when the fall semester starts in August.

Marshall President Stephen Kopp said that during conversations with ACPE representatives, they made it very clear that they are not accrediting new pharmacy schools that do not meet the agency's stringent standards.

"We have met those standards and will continue to do so," Kopp said. "This achievement is a momentous one, one that is on the level approaching that of the founding of the School of Medicine."

Pre-candidate accreditation for the doctoral program extends through June 30, 2013. Another comprehensive on-site evaluation will take place during the upcoming school year to allow for consideration of advancing the program from candidate accreditation status. The accreditation process consists of three steps, culminating with graduation of the first class and adherence to all ACPE standards.

Dr. Kevin Yingling, the dean of the pharmacy school, said he is looking forward to that next visit because the university will be able to demonstrate that faculty members are able to complete the curriculum in the way it was described in the school's application for accreditation.

He also said that he sent students in the first class e-letters Wednesday morning to alert them that classes will indeed start Aug. 20.

"A lot of have written back expressing appreciation and excitement of being part of the inaugural class," Yingling said.

The School of Pharmacy is located at the Robert W. Coon Education Building on the grounds of the Huntington VA Medical Center in Spring Valley. An ongoing $9.3 million renovation project on the building will result in a 76,000-square-foot learning, research and pharmacy practice facility. Work is on schedule for the building to open in time for the start of the fall semester.

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MU pharmacy program wins approval to start this fall