In This Section:
Pfizer donates $2M to School of Pharmacy
Campaign UConn surpasses its goal
Improving health care training
Eveyln Simon Gilman Gallery dedicated

Distinguished Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology
is companies first in the U.S.

A $2 million gift to endow the first distinguished chair in the UConn School of Pharmacy has been made by Pfizer Global Research and Development. It is the largest single gift ever received by the school and is the first such endowment in the United States made by Pfizer.

Establishment of the Pfizer Distinguished Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology will enable the School of Pharmacy to appoint a nationally recognized researcher, scholar and teacher who has made significant contributions to the field of pharmaceutical technology, the applied science for development of dosage forms.

"Endowed chairs are established by great schools and colleges of pharmacy to attract the best teachers and scholars," says Robert L. McCarthy, dean of the UConn School of Pharmacy. "Pfizer's gift elevates UConn to this elite group of institutions and demonstrates its confidence in the research, scholarship and achievements of our faculty and students."

Pfizer Global R&D is eager to continue to build upon its already strong relationship with the UConn School of Pharmacy, says Kelvin Cooper, head of Pfizer's pharmaceutical sciences group.

"Pharmaceutical sciences researchers play a key role in the discovery and development of new medicines for patients in need," he says. "In today's competitive recruiting environment, Pfizer must attract the best and brightest scientists in order to find cures for diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes. We are proud to partner with UConn's School of Pharmacy and view their program as a source of qualified researchers."

Proceeds from the endowment will support the Pfizer Distinguished Chair in his or her academic activities, including pre- and post-doctoral graduate fellowships and a pharmaceutical technology symposium. In addition, the chair's duties will include convening a working group of representatives from the School of Pharmacy and Pfizer to support the advancement of pharmaceutical technology at UConn.

Pharmaceutical technology addresses product development requirements for diverse medicinal agents, including organic molecules, proteins and other biologics. It also encompasses the physical and engineering sciences of drug delivery through oral, intravenous and injection methods.

The Pfizer Distinguished Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology is the third distinguished chair at UConn. The others are the Harold S. Schwenk Sr. Distinguished Chair in Chemistry and the Ray Neag Distinguished Chair in Vascular Biology. UConn has a total of 47 endowed chairs and 12 endowed professorships, including 24 chairs at the UConn Health Center and one chair and three professorships at the School of Law.

Campaign UConn, the largest fund-raising effort by a public university in New England, has surpassed its goal of $300 million in private support of scholarships, faculty and programs. A total of $302.5 million in gifts and pledges was reported as of May 31, with additional gifts anticipated by the

Illustration: John E. Bailey

conclusion of the campaign on June 30. This does not include the EDS software gift of $146 million, which raises the total to $448.5 million.

Since its launch in 1998, Campaign UConn has raised $44.6 million for scholarships, $35.3 million for faculty support, and $222.6 million for programs.

"The success of the campaign illustrates the depth of the commitment our alumni and other supporters have for the University of Connecticut and, just as importantly, sets the stage for the next phase in UConn's ongoing transformation into one of the top public research universities in the country," says John K. Martin, president of the UConn Foundation. "By the end of the current fiscal year, this will go down as the best year for fund-raising in the University's history."

Gifts to health-related schools open
new opportunities for students

Three of UConn's health-related schools have received grants that will provide new opportunities for students at a time of increasing demand for health care professionals in Connecticut and the nation.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., provided funding for a significant building project within the School of Pharmacy, the Paul L. Jones Fund established scholarships to support a School of Nursing accelerated training program, and the Carlson Therapy Network started a scholarship program within the School of Allied Health.

Boehringer Ingelheim pledged $250,000 for the Dosage Forms Laboratory Suite in the new Pharmacy/ Biology Building. The state-of-the-art suite will serve instructional and research needs in the areas of drug formulation, manufacturing and quality assessment.

"The Dosage Forms Laboratory Suite will significantly enhance the School's teaching and research programs. It will facilitate our teaching pharmacy students how to formulate and evaluate drug products," says Robert L. McCarthy, dean of the School of Pharmacy.

The School of Nursing received a $300,000 gift from the Paul L. Jones Fund to establish scholarships for the Master's Entry into Nursing (MbEIN) program, a full-time, accelerated program established about a year ago for those who hold a bachelor's or higher degree in a field other than nursing. The new educational initiative is helping address the nationwide shortage of nurses. By offering scholarships, the School of Nursing will be able to expand the program, resulting in an increase in the number of bedside nurses as well as nurses in advanced practice positions and in nursing education and research.

"There is incredible enthusiasm among the students and health care providers for MbEIN," says Laura Dzurec '74 (NUR), dean of the nursing school. "The students bring a maturity and certainty about what they want to do. We're very grateful to the Paul L. Jones Fund for their support."

Of the 24 students who began the program in 2003, more than half demonstrated significant financial need. Carlson Therapy Network has pledged $25,000 over five years to establish an annual scholarship within the School of Allied Health for UConn students from Connecticut, Rhode Island or New York, where the firm's 26 offices are located.

This is the company's first commitment to an institution of higher learning, says Valory Ramsdell Omasta '74 (SAH), vice president of clinical excellence for Carlson, which counts about 25 percent of its 100 licensed professionals as UConn alumni.

"Our hope is that this endowment will create a passion and fervor for physical therapy within the School of Allied Health," says Omasta, who serves on the advisory board for the School of Allied Health.

The scholarships will assist UConn students at a time when the School of Allied Health is expanding its programs to meet new criteria for accreditation by the American Physical Therapy Association, including an entry-level Ph.D. program, says Dean Joseph Smey '68 (SAH).

"We are excited to work with such a visionary company for the benefit of our entire profession," says Smey.

Photo: Dollie Harvey

The dedication of the Evelyn Simon Gilman Gallery at the William Benton Museum of Art was celebrated by (from left) Salvatore Scalora, director of the William Benton Museum of Art; David Woods, dean of the School of Fine Arts; Judith Zachs, '77 M.S.W.; UConn President Philip E. Austen; and Evelyn Simon Gilman '47 (CLAS).