College of Pharmacy

Apr 26, 2021 -
Finally, spring has arrived!!

The long dark winter of pandemic and disruption is beginning to fade as a glimpse of light and hope and normalcy at the end of this tunnel becomes increasingly brighter and more of a reality. The cycle of customary educational life becomes even more apparent as the end of the spring semester draws near.

On Friday, April 23rd, we welcomed the incoming Class of 2025 with the annual spring pharmacy kickoff celebration here on campus! What a joy to introduce this new cohort of bright and excited students into the world of pharmacy education at the Union University College of Pharmacy!

Likewise, final measures are underway to celebrate and say farewell to our P4’s as they set sail for residencies and job placement following graduation on May 15, 2021.

Indeed, it has been a year like no other. However, as we have attempted to share through excerpts in our newsletters: life, education, scholarship, and service have gone on without missing a beat within the College of Pharmacy.

Congratulations and deepest gratitude to faculty, preceptors, staff, and students for their perseverance, determination, and grit during this trying time. Overall, we have had a great year and have experienced God's blessings in astonishing and unanticipated ways.

Just as scripture tells us in Proverbs 27:17, that “iron sharpens iron”, the recent challenges we have faced during the past year have only made us sharper and better. We can do hard things! We have learned from and alongside each other that with God’s providential guidance, we can maintain, produce, and excel…no matter what the circumstances!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support, dear friends.

Blessings,

Dean Sheila Mitchell

Jan 27, 2021 -
Hello, Friends,

We have begun an exciting new year and new semester at the Union University College of Pharmacy with a determined focus and a strong commitment to being a part of the solution to the woes of 2020. As the cry for help from local healthcare officials rang out, our faculty and students responded in earnest, volunteering with a happy heart, eager to assist in bringing an end to this terrible COVID-19 crisis.

Included in the pages of this newsletter, you will see just a few examples of faculty mentoring students in immunization techniques, but more importantly in serving and showing compassion and empathy to patients.

The Oath of a Pharmacist begins in this way:

“I promise to devote myself to a lifetime of service to others through the profession of pharmacy. In fulfilling this vow:

I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering my primary concerns.”

I am extremely proud of and humbled by the servant spirit of our faculty and students, who have volunteered on their own time for many hours at numerous locations throughout West Tennessee, and will continue to do so into the near future. What better way to serve humanity in such a time as this than to help bring relief from suffering!

This is what we do. We are called to serve. We are part of the solution. We are pharmacists.

When it is your turn, consider being a part of the solution by getting vaccinated and by vaccinating others.

In the meantime, stay safe, everyone!

Blessings,

Dean Sheila Mitchell

Dec 8, 2020 -

Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year!

I have always tried to adhere to the old saying, “Don’t wish your life away!”
And generally, I strive to hold on to that mantra and live mindfully day by day in the present. However, I must confess that I will be more than a little ecstatic to say good-bye to 2020 and welcome in the New Year of 2021! How about you?

This has certainly been one for the record books and will forever be remembered as the year of living differently than we ever have before. Terms rarely used before this year, such as social-distancing, masking, sanitizing, etc. have become the new norm of everyday conversation. Our work and recreation and behavior have become governed by the “daily case count”.
In many ways we have found ourselves in a holding pattern --- waiting for new therapies, waiting for the vaccine, waiting for things to get back to “normal”.

However, in the midst of such a time as this, we have drawn upon inner strength and determination as we looked for new ways to do those things which had to be done and which are most important. I reflect upon all that has been done this year in our own College of Pharmacy to weather the storm and teach student pharmacists what it really means to be an outstanding professional and a resilient healthcare provider working in the middle of a pandemic. More than ever, I am filled with humility and pride to be a member of the greater pharmacy profession, which has stepped up to the challenge of seeking and actually providing the solution to this global crisis!

My heart goes out to the many who have struggled and suffered much during the year of 2020, and I certainly would never wish for our world to go through another year like this again. However, many hard life lessons have been taught to us during this time. As we look ahead toward the New Year and a return to life and activity as we want it to be; I pray that we will discover a new and better, kinder normal. In addition, to all that we have learned about viruses and vaccines and emergency preparedness, I hope that we remember what we have learned about being thankful for what we have instead of wishing for what we don’t. I hope we learn to count our blessings and hug our friends and loved ones while we can. And I pray that we learn to live more like Jesus taught us by loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Thank you, dear Friends, for your prayers and support for our work here at Union University. We appreciate you greatly and wish you much peace, health, and happiness in the coming new year --- 2021!

Blessings,

Dean Sheila Mitchell

May 22, 2020 - “Looks like We MADE it!” (In case you are not familiar, this is the title of an old song by Barry Manilow from days gone by, which comes to my mind as I write to you today.)

A semester like no other semester of education in recent history has been completed with the excellence, grace, and finesse, characteristic of Union University! Many lessons far beyond the practice of pharmacy have been mastered during this time. Thank you, and congratulations to students, faculty, staff, preceptors, and alumni on your adaptability, perseverance, and resilience!

On May 16th, graduating students were conferred their degrees. In case you missed it, I must share with you an excerpt from the UU News release regarding the special way in which this was done.

‘Spring graduates from Union University received a special message on Saturday on what was supposed to be their graduation day – a personalized video greeting from Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver.

Oliver recorded videos, typically between one and two minutes in length, for each of Union’s 595 graduates. The videos were sent to each student by email and text message May 16, the day Union’s spring commencement ceremonies were originally scheduled. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, commencement has been rescheduled for June 20.

Each video included Oliver signing the student’s diploma along with a personal word of congratulations and message of encouragement.

“I wanted to do this as a way to encourage the class of 2020 who has had to miss so much and to pray for and bless each of them individually,” Oliver said. “Union is a place that takes seriously our core values of being excellence-driven, Christ-centered, people-focused and future-directed.”’

Oliver sends personalized video congratulations to all 595 Union graduates

This effort by the President of Union University tangibly demonstrates the essence of what Union University is and stands for from the top down. We are devoted to our students and are dedicated to living out our core values in everything we do.

Although their degrees will have already been conferred, we are excited about the Commencement ceremony on June 20th, when we will officially hood our graduates. They have worked hard and waited with great anticipation to walk across the stage for that moment, and they will not be denied.

We have a busy summer ahead and, of course, continue to follow CDC guidelines. However, we are looking forward to seeing our students in the classroom setting in the fall.

Thank you again for your support and prayers.
Have a safe and healthy summer!
Best wishes,

Sheila Mitchell, Pharm.D.,FASHP
Dean, Union University College of Pharmacy

Apr 28, 2020 - Dear Colleagues and Friends,

How are you doing? Is it possible that we have been engaged in this new era of remote living for over a month?

Although we are not physically on campus at Union University during this time, purposeful and productive activity continues tirelessly and at a steady pace toward the end of the semester and graduation day. Our Union University College of Pharmacy mission to develop comprehensively trained, patient-centered practitioners of strong personal and professional character, equipped to meet the demands of an ever-changing health care environment has never been more relevant than it is today under the present conditions!

I continue to be inspired by our faculty and staff as they develop new and creative ways to engage and teach students while maintaining community and esprit de corps under unprecedented circumstances. I am encouraged about the future of our profession as I witness the remarkable perseverance and adaptability of our students who have been upended from the normal and plunged into an unknown and unexpected world in the midst of their professional education.

As I sit in my home office and gaze out the window at the beautiful spring morning, my thoughts and prayers are with you all today. I send my humble appreciation and gratitude to those of you who are taking care of patients on the frontlines. You are indeed our superheroes and represent the best of our profession. I am reminded that although nothing seems to be the same as usual during this time, our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And, as the scripture says, “His mercies are new every morning.” May you feel His presence and protection as you go about your daily sacrificial service to humankind.

Blessings to you, my Friends.

Take care,

Sheila Mitchell, Pharm.D.,FASHP
Dean, Union University College of Pharmacy

Mar 25, 2020 - In such a time as this…

I am thankful that we serve a sovereign God and I am truly grateful for phenomenal faculty, staff, students, preceptors, alumni, family, and friends!

I write to inform you that Union University and the College of Pharmacy are responding to the current national crisis prayerfully and with calmness, assuredness, and preparedness. Didactic classes have transitioned smoothly to online classroom instruction. The Office of Experiential Education likewise is making necessary adjustments to student rotations. Through the providential planning of our curriculum, our graduating class is finishing rotations in March and is on track for on-time graduation. We are deeply grateful to our preceptors who have worked with us in countless ways to address this situation.

As you all are painfully aware, we are experiencing an event like none other that has occurred during our lifetimes. We are being called upon to lead and serve and bring out the best version of ourselves more than ever before. We are particularly mindful of our own alumni, preceptors, and other healthcare colleagues who are serving our patients on the frontlines.

As Mr. Rogers of the beloved children’s television show suggested to do during difficult times, now is truly a time to “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Many of these helpers are colleagues we know and love. Along with our colleagues in the College of Nursing and Student Health, we have been able to donate significant quantities of personal protective equipment for their use. However, of much greater significance during this time, we pray for the protection, wisdom, healing, and peace that only the Great Physician can provide.

Stay safe and take care, dear friends. This, too, shall pass!

Prayerfully,

Sheila Mitchell, Pharm.D.,FASHP
Dean, Union University College of Pharmacy