The University of Charleston recently announced that we are exploring the option of extending our pharmacy program into eastern Kentucky. This is consistent with the university's intent to provide pharmacy education to students in Appalachia and to encourage them to stay as graduates to serve the residents of the region. In addition, this exploration is also a strategic and reactive move to counteract competition from Marshall University.
When UC explored the idea of creating a pharmacy school 10 years ago, the need for pharmacists in rural West Virginia was severe. There were many students who wanted to enroll in pharmacy schools and there was a great need for pharmacists, particularly in southern West Virginia, but also across the country. The University of Charleston was not the only institution to respond to this imbalance of supply and demand. Since 2000, nearly 30 new pharmacy programs have entered the field, and 10 to 12 more are in the planning stages, including Midway College in Kentucky and Marshall University in West Virginia.
As noted in the press, I objected to Marshall's program on the grounds that there was no longer a shortage and that adding a third, taxpayer-supported school of pharmacy would result in a shortage of qualified faculty, practice sites and jobs for graduates.
Despite the opposition, Marshall is proceeding with plans to open a pharmacy program. Marshall's proposed program is focused on recruiting West Virginia students who now compose one-third of UC's pharmacy population. Having a pipeline to students in eastern Kentucky would provide UC with some insulation from the impact of Marshall's program.
The cost of providing a pharmacy education is the same at a public and a private institution. Faculty salaries, equipment and facilities upkeep are no different. What is different is that UC, as a private institution, has no taxpayer subsidy for tuition, which puts us at a competitive disadvantage for those students who choose schools based primarily on the cost of attendance. Annual tuition at the UC School of Pharmacy is $26,950 for all students this year, compared with Marshall's announced rate of $16,000 for in-state students and $28,000 for out-of-state students.
Assuming that Marshall does not use West Virginia taxpayer revenues to provide a subsidized "metro rate" for Kentucky pharmacy students, then the University of Charleston might replace West Virginia students it loses to Marshall with students from eastern Kentucky.
Midway College has invested considerable time and effort in laying the groundwork for a school of pharmacy in Paintsville, Ky., which would serve a rural area much like ours in southern West Virginia. Due to difficulties encountered in the accreditation process, Midway has withdrawn its application for accreditation, leaving UC an opportunity to expand its already fully accredited pharmacy program.
The University of Charleston is now in the middle of a 60-day due diligence period seeking to know whether opening a branch of our School of Pharmacy in Paintsville, Kentucky is academically wise and also a good business decision. There are many issues to be explored. How many additional faculty and staff would need to be hired? How many students can be expected to attend the new program? How feasible is it to deliver much of the curriculum via distance education?
The coming weeks will tell whether the Paintsville location will be the future home of a UC pharmacy education. Whether it is or not, UC offers a distinctive pharmacy program. Expanding into Kentucky is one option, among others, to grow and strengthen the UC School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Edwin H. Welch is the president of the University of Charleston.
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