A new partnership between SUNY Broome and St. John Fisher College will offer two qualified students guaranteed acceptance into the Wegmans School of Pharmacy. While Fisher partners with SUNY Broome through a 2+2 agreement at the undergraduate level, this initiative marks the first time the institutions will offer a direct pathway to a doctoral degree program.
Eligible students will enter and complete SUNY Broome’s Liberal Arts Associates in Science (LAAS) program.
“At SUNY Broome, we’ve often said that you can go anywhere from here – and, in this case, that’s all the way to a graduate degree,” said SUNY Broome President Kevin E. Drumm. “We’re excited to offer this opportunity to our students in partnership with St. John Fisher College.”
“This partnership with St. John Fisher College builds on the strength of our existing 2+2 transfer agreements, and our transfer opportunities as a whole,” added Chief Academic Officer and Executive Vice President Francis Battisti.
Through the Pharmacy Early Assurance Partnership program, Fisher will offer admission to two eligible candidates from eight community colleges every academic year, totaling 16 guaranteed spots. In addition to SUNY Broome, participating colleges include Erie, Finger Lakes, Genesee, Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley, Monroe and Onondaga community colleges. Each college will identify students who have completed the appropriate prerequisite coursework and, based on their ability to satisfy the standard requirements for admission, the school will select two students for the guaranteed acceptance offer.
“We’re proud to partner with SUNY Broome to provide students with an opportunity to pursue a doctorate at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy,” said Dr. Gerard J. Rooney, president of the College. “Since the College’s inception, our mission has been to help students achieve their educational goals as efficiently and affordably as possible, and this program is a continuation of those efforts.”
Fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the School of Pharmacy offers a Doctor of Pharmacy program, and in partnership with Fisher’s School of Business also delivers a Pharm.D./MBA joint degree program.
St. John Fisher currently offers the Pharmacy Early Assurance Program to a select group of incoming freshmen who enter Fisher directly from high school, guaranteeing admission to the program after a minimum of two years of pre-pharmacy course work, provided they meet program requirements. The new agreement with community colleges extends that offer to students interested in transferring to the college. About 12 to 15 percent of students enrolling in the school come from community colleges with no prior enrollments at four-year institutions.
“Students enrolling in our pharmacy degree program coming from community colleges have been among our brightest, most successful graduates,” said Dr. Christine Birnie, dean of the School.
