Dean’s Message – Summer 2011
Change and Progress
The summer has moved by faster than ever here in Kingston, as I am sure it has for our 2011 graduates. Three months ago we delivered another class of excellent Doctors of Pharmacy to the profession. We also celebrated our first graduate from our new Bachelor of Science in the Pharmaceutical Sciences program. These new alumni went off to work in some of the most sought after practice opportunities in competitive residencies, hospitals, health systems, managed care organizations, the military, community pharmacy and the industry. We know these students will make a difference for hundreds of thousands of patients as they strive to improve the health of others and make medication use safer and more effective. The main commencement ceremony featured Newark Mayor Corey Booker who told graduates to “Stand up for who you are, for where you come from, stand up in honor of those who came before, and stand up with hope for those who will come after.” At the college hooding ceremony following commencement, Dr. Jean Marie Pflomm ‘96 Editor, The Medical Letter, urged our new pharmacists to seize the opportunities before them without fear, because if they do, they will make a difference in people’s lives and their own. Dr. Pflomm’s relatively short and rapidly rising career demonstrates the versatility of a URI Pharmacy degree and the quality of preparation she received. Since her graduation, Jean-Marie moved from a residency, to a professorship, to clinical service in two large New York Health Systems, to the lead pharmacist editor of The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics and Treatment Guidelines from the Medical Letter, that influence the clinical decision making of countless professionals and the care delivered to literally many millions of patients.
The rate of change that will challenge this group of graduates is unprecedented. The changes in our nation’s economy, the world, technology, our understanding of genomics and so many other areas will make it essential that this generation pursue the oath they gave to embrace change that improves the care of patients. They will achieve great success as they serve others by building ideas, goals and innovations around human values. As they progress in their careers facing rapid change and endless new opportunities, we wish them all the best and hope they remember to update their College and University on the great things they will achieve.
We also began a year long celebration of the illustrious career of Dr. Joan M. Lausier ‘67 & ‘71, Associate Dean of Academic and Student affairs who will retire in June of 2012. Over her 40+ year career at the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Lausier has seen thousands of students, many tens of faculty and all four Deans progress through the College. Her singular straight forward guidance and steady direction has been the source of success for so many of us that it will be difficult to fill her shoes. We hope that our celebration at every opportunity this year does justice to her stellar career.
In closing the progress on your new College facility is moving rapidly. The change evident there every day is most astounding at this point. We know you will be proud of this new building and of the return on the investment we will deliver to you, with our efforts toward even greater degrees of excellence in our education, research and outreach to the community missions. Please come by for a hard hat tour if you are in the vicinity sometime soon. Please also watch for announcements and join us at the early 2012 ribbon cutting and a bit later in the spring for a Grand Opening Celebration.
Dean Ronald P. Jordan ‘76