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July 16, 2008

COP granted continued accreditation

Louisiana's only state-supported College of Pharmacy received a full six-year accreditation extension through June 30, 2014.

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Accreditation Assessment Team recently visited the University of Louisiana at Monroe and reviewed the COP's Doctor of Pharmacy program. The ACPE Board of Directors granted the COP continued accreditation during their June Board of Directors Meeting.

The COP was evaluated on mission planning and evaluation; organization and administration; curriculum; students; faculty and staff; and facilities and resources.

The recent evaluation is very significant for the College, said Dean Dr. Lamar Pritchard.

"ACPE's very positive response concerning our accreditation is a welcome affirmation of the terrific job that our faculty, staff, students and alumni have done to greatly enhance the quality of our program. Our team's commitment to continuous quality improvement will allow our pharmacy program to maintain a very high level of excellence for many years to come," he said. "I am extremely proud of each member of our College of Pharmacy team, as well as our university administrators who have provided unyielding support and encouragement for our program."

That teamwork has resulted in great progress for the COP, which has satellite campuses in Baton Rouge and Shreveport. The ACPE board's official report acknowledged "the many changes and improvements that have taken place at the College in recent years."

The College has accomplished significant progress since being placed on cautionary notice in June of 2004. Because of those subsequent improvements, cautionary notice was removed in January of 2007.

Such advancements include the purchase of a three-story, 132,000-square-foot Bienville Building from State Farm Insurance in 2005. ULM administration secured more than $10 million for the building and subsequent renovation, where pharmacy students, faculty and staff conduct classes and research in state-of-the-art labs. During the onsite visit in 2008, ACPE representatives were so impressed with ULM's top-notch Pharmacy Care Lab that they deemed it a paradigm for any other institution intending to remodel or to rebuild their care labs. Several pharmacy programs from across the country have sought advice concerning Pharmacy Care Lab design from ULM College of Pharmacy Administrators.

ULM President James Cofer applauded the diligence of COP faculty and staff.

"Under the dean's leadership, our faculty and our staff devoted considerable attention to accreditation, and their diligence resulted in great progress for the state's pharmacy program. Our College produces qualified and talented pharmacists, and our professors and students conduct important research. I am grateful that our legislators and our Governor recognize Louisiana's valuable resource and continue to offer their support."

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