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MILLIGAN COLLEGE , TN (March 4, 2005) — Milligan College President Donald R. Jeanes has announced his school’s support of a free-standing pharmacy school at East Tennessee State University and is encouraging the region’s private colleges and their alumni to do likewise.
“The educational and economic impacts are great. Each year we watch as graduates of Milligan College and other regional private colleges leave the state of Tennessee to pursue their pharmacy training. We’d like to see this professional training provided in East Tennessee so that the state might retain a greater number of our best and brightest,” said Jeanes, in a February 28 letter to Governor Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Jeanes also sent e-mails to the presidents of Carson-Newman, Tusculum , and King Colleges , as well as Milligan alumni in the Tri-Cities region, asking them to likewise support ETSU’s initiative.
Meeting the healthcare needs of the region has long been an important emphasis for Milligan, explained Jeanes, citing the college’s strong pre-med, nursing, and occupational therapy programs.
“We’ve collaborated with numerous healthcare providers and entities in our region on these efforts, but one of the most valuable partnerships has been with East Tennessee State ,” said Jeanes.
Citing an increasing local demand for pharmacists, especially in rural underserved areas, ETSU president Paul Stanton announced in August the intent to establish a pharmacy school in conjunction with the university’s medical school. The University of Tennessee introduced a counterproposal to expand its Memphis-based pharmacy school into Knoxville and Nashville, which has left the Tennessee Higher Education Commission scrambling to reach a proposed solution that best serves the state’s needs.
“ETSU is uniquely positioned to fill a significant need for our state,” said Jeanes. “They have a well-respected tradition for providing high quality graduate programs, especially in medicine. Their leadership and ability to prepare healthcare providers for our region continues to enhance patient care in Tennessee ,” said Jeanes. “This is a win-win for all of us.”