East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy welcomed its Class
of 2027 with a White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 18.
Of the members of ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy’s Class of 2027, nearly two-thirds
are from within 150 miles of campus, and almost a third are from a rural area. More
than a third are first-generation college students, and half of the class are Tennesseans.
“Our college was founded in 2005 by a need in the community for highly skilled pharmacists,
and subsequently our mission is to train progressive, team-oriented pharmacists who
go back to serve rural and underserved communities,” said Dr. Debbie Byrd, dean of
the College of Pharmacy and interim dean of the College of Nursing. “With that goal
in mind, it is fitting that so many of our student pharmacists matriculate from those
same rural areas and are the first in their family to attend college — and the Class
of 2027 is no different.”
The Class of 2027 will be the first in the college’s history to benefit from $2.5
million in annual funding approved by the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this
year. Thanks to the efforts from the region’s local legislative delegation, tuition
at the college is now 30% less than before for in-state students and 15% less for
out-of-state students.
It’s a significant decrease for students over the course of the four-year PharmD program.
For in-state students, the tuition cost has decreased over $46,600; for out-of-state
students, over $22,600. In addition, the state funding will go toward bolstering the
college’s scholarships by $720,000, which will help lower costs even more for future
students.
“Starting a professional school program can be a difficult transition for students with all backgrounds and prior experiences,
and as a first-generation student coming from a rural area, there are a lot of uncertainties
and questions that follow,” said first-year student Ally Hanson, from Sparta, North
Carolina, who is part of the college’s Early Admission Pathway program.
The college’s Early Admission Pathway is for high-achieving high school students choosing
to attend ETSU or current first-year students at ETSU. They can start their pharmacy
career early and finish a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy in six years,
saving time and money.
“That’s why I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities that the Early Admission
Pathway and the incredible team at Gatton have offered me thus far,” said Paige. “The
newly lowered tuition has also made this a smoother transition for me as the stress
of financial burden has decreased.”