Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy

Prescription Filled!
by Sam Watson/ Johnson City Press

College of Pharmacy Giving Form
College of Pharmacy Website

President Stanton and Gov. Bredesen Pledge support for the new College of Pharmacy

Gov. Phil Bredesen confirmed Thursday his support for East Tennessee State University’s proposal to start a freestanding pharmacy school without state funding, calling the plan “as good as it is unprecedented.”

“This is a very impressive effort on the part of the local community, and in the end, I really want to reward that kind of thing,” Bredesen said following his announcement at ETSU’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine. “I really believe that the money is there to do the school with.”

Announcing his support to more than 150 luncheon guests at the medical school’s Stanton-Gerber Hall, Bredesen called on advocates of the proposal to “roll up our sleeves together” to raise the private funding necessary to make the school a reality.

"Today, I’m here to step up to the plate for Northeast Tennessee with you. Let’s roll up our sleeves together and make this happen." –

Tennessee Governor
Phil Bredesen

He said ETSU would have to garner $5 million in start-up funds within 12 weeks to present to the Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission at the approval process, as well as have another $2.5 million in the bank by the time the school opens in fall 2006. ETSU officials have said they need $16 million in all for the school’s operations and to renovate a Veterans Affairs Medical Center,Mountain Home, facility neighboring Stanton-Gerber Hall.

Since the governor’s weight all but guaranteed success, ETSU President Paul Stanton found himself on “cloud nine” Thursday, although relief had been building since Bredesen visited him for details March 4 and pledged to make a decision within two weeks.

Governor Bredesen addresses the crowd.

“So, I’ve been feeling a little better because of what he said, but until I heard it there (during the announcement), I had not heard it,” Stanton said. “I had not read his script. I didn’t know if there would be surprises or not, but it was right on point.”

THEC Chairman Jim Powell, a Limestone resident and Johnson City businessman, said he expected the Regents to consider ETSU’s proposal in June before it reaches THEC in July.

“You can do certain things, but you’ve also got to raise the money to meet all those criteria,” Powell said.
“If the community raises the money like they have been supportive of the program, then we can meet that schedule. “If we don’t raise the money or get good, hard, solid commitments, it has to stop until those commitments are made,” he said.

Stanton said the advocates at Thursday’s luncheon — some of whom left checks — were just a sample of the regional support for a pharmacy school, so he expected to have the necessary cash and pledges in hand by the deadline.

“This is going to get done,” Stanton said. “There’s no question about it.” Bredesen planned to guide the proposal through the approval process.