Hello, Please see more good news from Harris-Stowe State University! News Harris-Stowe State University and St. Louis College of Pharmacy FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pier Scott (314) 340-3391 scottp@hssu.edu<mailto:scottp@hssu.edu> HARRIS-STOWE STATE UNIVERSITY AND ST. LOUIS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY LAUNCH NEW DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM St. Louis, MO (Feb. 17, 2016) - Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) and St. Louis College of Pharmacy (the College) announce the formation of a new program to provide educational opportunities for students in the field of pharmacy. The dual degree program will allow students to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in a 3+4 format. Students will complete three years of study in the Biology/Pre-Pharmacy track at Harris-Stowe and in their fourth year, they will begin work on their Doctor of Pharmacy at the College. The institutions celebrated the agreement in a formal signing ceremony today in the new Academic and Research Building on the St. Louis College of Pharmacy campus. "This partnership with St. Louis College of Pharmacy will allow our students the chance to enter an exciting health care career with tremendous employment potential," said Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, president, Harris-Stowe State University. Over the next decade, more Americans are expected to seek health services due to the aging population, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in health care occupations is projected to grow 19 percent between 2014 and 2024. In the recently released report: "African Americans: College Majors and Earnings," African Americans who chose pharmacy careers with a bachelor's level degree saw the highest median annual earnings, at around $84,000. Earning potential is even higher with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2014 median salary for pharmacists was $120,950. "We take a lot of pride in making St. Louis College of Pharmacy a supportive and enriching environment for growth," says Dr. John A. Pieper, president, St. Louis College of Pharmacy. "To live that mission, we are always looking to create as many opportunities as possible for students interested in pursuing a rewarding career as a pharmacist." According to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, of the total number of students enrolled in first professional degree programs for fall 2014, 61.4 percent were women and 12.4 percent were underrepresented minority students. Administrators at HSSU and the College recognize this collaboration as an inventive and necessary opportunity for the institutions to increase the number of underrepresented students in this field. Dr. Dwaun Warmack, president of Harris-Stowe and Dr. John A. Pieper, president, St. Louis College of Pharmacy signed the agreement surrounded by faculty, staff and Harris-Stowe students interested in the program. Also representing the College was Dr. Bruce Canaday, dean of the School of Pharmacy, and Dr. Brenda Gleason, associate dean for academic affairs. In addition, Harris-Stowe State University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Dwyane Smith and Dr. Tommie Turner, Director of the Institute for Science and Mathematics, represented the university. To be eligible to enter the first professional year of the Doctor of Pharmacy program, HSSU students must complete all prerequisite courses by the end of their junior year. The student must also hold a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7, hold no individual course grades below a C- in prerequisite courses, successfully complete an in-person interview and writing assessment, and taken the Pharmacy College Admission Test. These requirements are the same as any student applying to transfer into the College's professional program. Students who successfully complete four years of study in the dual-degree program will earn a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Pre-Pharmacy minor from HSSU. They will earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the College after completing the remaining professional program coursework and progression requirements. Coursework in the first three years of the program will primarily be held on the HSSU campus. In their sophomore year, students will take eight credit hours of organic chemistry on the College's campus. In their junior year, they will take four credit hours of physics and three credit hours of health care communications on the College's campus. HSSU students will be eligible to enter the program as early as this fall. About Harris-Stowe State University Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU), located in midtown St. Louis, is a fully accredited four-year institution that offers 31 majors, minors and certificate programs in education, business and arts & sciences. In 2014, HSSU ranked No. 1 in the state of Missouri and No. 47 in the nation in granting degrees in mathematics and statistics to African Americans according to Missouri Department of Higher Education and Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, a news magazine that has ranked institutions conferring the most degrees to minority students for the past 30 years. Harris-Stowe also ranked No. 28 among the 2016 Top HBCUs in the country according to Niche, an online content provider of reviews and insight on more than 1,100 colleges nationwide. The University, which has origins dating back to 1857, offers the most affordable bachelor's degree in the state of Missouri. Visit www.hssu.edu<http://www.hssu.edu> for more information. About St. Louis College of Pharmacy For more than 150 years, St. Louis College of Pharmacy has been committed to educating the best pharmacists in the United States. The region's only independent college of pharmacy, St. Louis College of Pharmacy is the third oldest continuously operating and 10th largest college of pharmacy in America. The student body is comprised of nearly 1,400 students from 32 states and 10 countries. The College admits students directly from high school and accepts transfer students and graduates from other colleges and universities in the sophomore and junior years of the undergraduate program and the first year of the professional program. Students earn a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) with an integrated Bachelor of Science degree in a seven-year curriculum. An education at the College opens up the world to graduates for a career in a wide range of practice settings. Graduates have a 100 percent job placement rate. The campus is transforming to better fit the needs of students, faculty, and staff. This summer, a new six-story, 213,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art academic and research building opened. Construction is underway for a seven-story student center, residence hall, and recreation facility scheduled for completion in December 2016. When not in class, students can participate in more than 60 organizations, fraternities, intramurals, and sports. The College competes in 12 NAIA Division I sports. College alumni practice throughout the nation and in 14 different countries, providing a strong network to assist students with their goals. Additional information is available at stlcop.edu<http://www.stlcop.edu>. Pier Scott Director of Communications & Marketing Office of Institutional Advancement Harris-Stowe State University 3026 Laclede Ave. St. Louis, MO 63103 o (314) 340-3391 or c (314) 504-1386 scottp@hssu.edu<mailto:scottp@hssu.edu> www.hssu.edu<http://www.hssu.edu/>