As many of you know, the School lost one of its giants recently with the death of Professor Joseph Robinson on September 4. At the family's request, we held a memorial service for Joe at the School, attended by friends and colleagues from all over the world. It was a wonderful celebration of his life and career and a fitting tribute to his broad and deep impact as a scientist, educator and mentor. He will be sorely missed.
This issue of Pharmacy Graduate celebrates our expanding scholarship program and the generosity of many donors and friends that make this critical financial support possible. For 2006/07, the School distributed over $188,000 in scholarship support to 132 students. Record numbers, both! The tuition at the University of Wisconsin (even for PharmD students) remains a real bargain compared to many other places and is, without question, a very, very good investment for the future. However, the rate of increase in tuition and other financial burdens on our students has been dramatic due to the increased cost of delivering an education and to the downward trend in state support. Among other scholarships from individuals, groups, or corporations, $20,000 came from the Pharmacy Alumni Association. A substantial amount of these funds was raised at the annual PAA golf tournament. Donations directly from our alumni to the PAA scholarship fund are another critical source of scholarship support. Thank you so much for supporting the academic success of the next generation of pharmacists, scientists, researchers and educators of the state and the nation in this way. I urge you to continue to make the Pharmacy Alumni Association Scholarship Fund a focal point for your generosity.
This issue also celebrates the excellence and impact of research going on in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division with a special report on the work of Professor Jon Thorsen, a collaboration which includes many others in the School and across campus -- a great example of the interdisciplinary nature of UW-Madison. The project is part of a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health called a National Cooperative Drug Discovery Group (NCDDG). Their exciting work will transform how we discover and develop natural products as potential anticancer drug candidates with a potential direct impact on patient care in the future.
And to wind up the accreditation story... We received the final determination of our accreditation status from ACPE in July. I'm pleased to tell you that the UW PharmD program received the full six-year reaccreditation, with an interim report due in November 2007 to address progress on specific items that need improvement. Thanks to all alumni who participated in one way or another. Well done!
I hope to see you while I'm out and about around the state, the region and the country. I'll be focusing my visits in the Milwaukee area over the next few months except for the long-anticipated alumni gathering in Minneapolis in mid-November. On Wisconsin!