Dear alumni and friends,
In the few months since our last issue of The Record, a great deal has been accomplished in the college.
A significant milestone for the health of our pharmacy program is the completion of our accreditation self-study and site visit. While we continue to await the final feedback and decision, we received positive comments about our commitment to our values and our use of evidence for quality improvement. We anticipate there will be a few areas we’ll be asked to monitor, which is an expected part of the accreditation process. Of note, the accreditors highlighted our outstanding commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning (i.e., systematic inquiry into student learning to advance educational practices). They viewed this as particularly noteworthy and they have a desire to highlight us at a national level for that work.
Earlier this summer we shared news of another significant milestone in the college: the new MNspire curriculum and learning experience. With the fall semester underway, we’ve begun hearing positive feedback from our first-year PharmD students about how the new experience is going and are learning how to best support both students and instructors in this transformative program. Importantly, we’ve also applied some of the principles that guided MNspire design to instruction with our P2 and P3 students. We’ll continue to keep you updated on what we’re learning and how we’re continuously improving based on the input from students, faculty and staff.
In addition to welcoming pharmacy residents and students to all of our programs, fall semester has been filled with a flurry of activities. In this issue you’ll find highlights of the P1 white coat celebration, the occupational therapy (OT) and medical laboratory science (MLS) commencement, the Weaver Medal Celebration for Dr. Vince, and Homecoming 2023. You’ll also find outcomes from our internal research retreat and the inaugural Align Summit. All of these are on top of the tremendous accomplishments of our alumni, students, faculty and staff.
On a personal note, and as a sign of things moving quickly - maybe even a little too quickly, I suffered an unfortunate fall several weeks ago and sustained several broken bones. As my healing continues, the college community is providing great support to keep everything moving forward. These circumstances unfortunately mean I’ll miss seeing many of you at our alumni connection points in the near future. I’ll be eager to rejoin you all just as soon as my recovery allows.
In the meantime, thank you for all you do for our students and the college.
Warmly,
Lynda S. Welage, PharmD, FCCP
Dean