Dean's Note: A Season of Exciting Change
Fall is by far my favorite time of the year. The summer heat has cooled to yield crisp mornings and cool sunny days. The foliage from the deciduous forest that our campus resides within is alive with vibrant hues. Most importantly, the academic calendar is in full swing with students back to learning in campus classrooms and laboratories.
This fall is particularly special as the College of Pharmacy celebrates its 120th year of educating pharmacists and scientists. Founded by a physician, a chemist, and a pharmacist on October 1, 1903, what was then the Southern College of Pharmacy would merge with Mercer University in 1959. For 120 years, our graduates have been on the leading edge of the ever-evolving profession of pharmacy, and over the years, our college has continuously taken bold steps towards ensuring that pharmacists are equipped with the knowledge and skills to serve their patients, their communities, and their profession.
During this time, the College has graduated over 7,000 students who have gone on to practice in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 12 countries around the globe, many of whom continue to be connected and engaged with us, even decades after they have left.
This fall is also uniquely special as the College will begin the process of relocating to our brand-new facility on the Atlanta campus, the Moye Pharmacy and Health Sciences Center. Made possible through the generous contributions of our alumni, friends, faculty, and staff, and named in recognition of the lead gift provided by William A. “Tony” Moye, a class of 1973 graduate of the college and four-term member of the Mercer University Board of Trustees, this 65,000 square-foot facility is truly a game-changer in the history of the College. In addition to state-of-the-art classrooms designed for interactive, team-based didactic learning, the facility boasts what I believe will be the premiere clinical skills and simulation laboratory of any pharmacy school in the country, allowing our students to engage in simulated community and hospital patient care settings.
In addition to classroom and office space, the Moye Center allows us to renovate the DuVall Building – nearly doubling our research infrastructure and output in the pharmaceutical sciences, including the growth of our core research emphasis areas of pharmaceutics and drug delivery and pharmacology and drug discovery.
Our college and campus environment is particularly vibrant and exciting this fall, and as we move through the academic year, we would love to continue to engage and connect with college alumni, friends, potential students, and parents. Some of you may know our college’s motto, “A Tradition of Excellence – A Legacy of Caring.” To me, I truly believe that these eight words are more than a simple tagline. They reflect the very existence of who we are, what we do, and why we, as a College, are here…and have been for 120 years.
Nader H. Moniri, Ph.D.
Acting Dean, College of Pharmacy
