Supporting Pharmaceutical Education - Timing is Everything

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2003 by Maine, Lucinda L

Keywords: pharmaceutical education, financial management

"Higher Education in California takes a major hit..." "State appropriations for higher education rose only 1.2 percent, the smallest such rise in a decade." These were the first two stories in the December 9, 2002, "Daily Report" from The Chronicle of Higher Education, and they certainly affirm that the financing of our enterprise is under assault.

For public institutions, state budget woes foretell stagnant funding levels at best, and in too many cases requests for "give backs" in education have occurred mid-fiscal year. Shrinking endowments hit both public and private schools, jeopardizing building projects, scholarships and student aid, and other programs.

Despite this, many schools and colleges of pharmacy are implementing significant expansion activities and new programs. Some schools of pharmacy have had significant budget increases, even in times of multi-billion dollar state budget gaps. How can deans and their leadership teams accomplish this when the odds seem so strongly against them?

Several deans responded to a query for tactics that work to garner support in difficult times. There was no magic in the answers, just good thinking and excellent leadership. Here is what was learned.

It's about Advocacy!

For our enterprise, the pharmacist shortage could not have come at a better time! The argument that well-trained pharmacists are integral to the "fix" needed in health care no longer falls on deaf ears, whether within the academic health center, across campus, or in the state legislature. Pharmacy education at the doctoral level is a priority for budget builders even in tough times.

In addition to the contributions of our practitioners to society, equally compelling arguments for support of faculty and facilities have supported increased resources to advance our research enterprises. This includes additional support for graduate programs, equipment, and much needed administrative staff that shifts some technical and managerial burdens of teaching and research from our faculty, making them more productive.

With a 20-year projection of a continued strong need for pharmacists, sharpening our tools for advocacy is essential. Material communicating pharmacists' value has been prepared by AACP and 9 other pharmacy organizations for the annual exhibit at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Other materials specifically addressing education issues are available from AACP's Director of Government Affairs.

Paying Fair Value for Education

Clearly pharmacy students have been asked to pay more for their education. As one concrete example, a 12-state analysis of public and private tuition increases affirms that students are bearing more of the cost of their education. Public tuition at 4-year institutions rose 12.4% ($455 annually) while private tuition rose almost $800 or 6.1% in the current academic year. Mid-year tuition increases are also more common. AACP's analysis of tuition for 2002-03 reveals increases at both public and private colleges and schools. In-state tuition for public schools increased over 14% and 8% for out-ofstate students. The rate of increase at private schools between the 2001 and 2002 academic years was just under 8%.

Deans reported that effective advocacy for differential tuition, and higher recovery of those new dollars, was essential for requisite program growth and integrity. Reserving 10% to 15% for scholarships and financial aid provided some comfort for those less able to pay. In one school, annual scholarship funds increased from $67,000 to over $200,000 such that 58% of the student body received funds in this academic year.

Strategies to open satellite campuses for enrollment growth are increasingly common as well. In at least one school, the need to address the shortage of pharmacists, especially in rural areas of the state, enabled the case to be made for a portion of the state's tobacco endowment to be used for a 50% enrollment expansion via a satellite campus. The effort required convincing university administration, the state's pharmacists, the health department, and ultimately the state legislature of what was required to assure quality in pharmaceutical education, regardless of where and how it is delivered.

Private Philanthropic Support Essential

Virtually every dean responding to this query indicated that more of their energies had been poured into the business of fund-raising and development. The good news is that the efforts have been rewarded. Successful alumni and corporations that benefit from a well-prepared pharmacy workforce have been responsive to schools' appeals for a wide range of initiatives. Whether contributions support endowments for faculty positions, programs for student support, bricks and mortar, or technology monies to create the 21st century infrastructures for teaching and research, donors have responded.

Building Successful Research Enterprises

AACP's analysis of trends in federal funding of pharmacy faculty research, especially by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), revealed that as NIH's budget doubled over the last 5 years we did better than hold our own. Deans had increased expectations for grant productivity by their faculty and had successfully argued for the "investments" in people and equipment to make the expectations realistic. Centers of excellence that cut across disciplines within schools and across campus have increased rates of grant awards.