Wyoming school's fate hangs in the balance

Drug Store News, Oct 22, 1990

Wyoming school's fate hangs in the balance

LARAMIE, Wyo. - University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy officials wait with baited breath as the institution's president and board of trustees decide the fate of the school's pharmacy program in the face of a university-wide budget crunch.

Recent talk of the school's closing stems from a legislative decision to audit the university's management program nearly two years ago. Last summer, an academic committee, after intensive research, recommended nearly $5 million be reallocated among various programs at the university, including 66 percent of those funds currently allocated to the pharmacy program.

To help alleviate the shortfall in the budget, the committee recommended two options to the university's provost that affect the school of pharmacy: (1) eliminate the school altogether, or, (2) a three-step program that includes setting differential tuitions for the pharmacy school (which would go into a general university fund), increasing enrollment, and conducting a review of the impact of that differentiation in a number of years to determine the fate of the school.

Dean John Baldwin expressed obvious concern over recent developments. "Obviously, we are trying to prevent either one of the options from being recommended to the president or implemented," he said. "We've contacted alumni, pharmacists in the state, local news outlets and trade outlets to let people know what's going on. We don't want to panic everyone, we just want them to know what's going on and help support us."

Baldwin said the president has informed him that the 170 tenured faculty members of the school will not be let go, and that the students currently in the pharmacy program will be able to finish their degrees should a negative decision come down from the administration.

University administration officials declined to comment. The school's provost will submit his recommendations to the university's president on November 1, who, in turn will submit a report to the board of trustees on November 15. A final decision will be made at the board of trustees' December meeting.