NSU Horizons Spring 2013

16 HORIZONS R ichard Finkel was a community pharmacist in North Miami Beach when friends suggested he take a postgraduate course at what was then the fledgling Southeastern University of the Health Sciences’ College of Pharmacy. It changed the course of his career, and he and his colleagues have changed the lives of more than 3,300 NSU students who are now practicing pharmacists—an estimated one-third of whom work in Florida. “The first time I walked into that lecture, I was hooked,” said Finkel, who earned his Pharm.D. in 1992. “It made me into a different pharmacist because I could see that it wasn’t just about throwing pills in a bottle.” The Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy has come a long way since those early days and has now celebrated its 25th anniversary. The milestones over that quarter century are long and impressive. The Pharm.D. program has expanded, from admitting 49 stu- dents to 240 students per year, and the Pharm.D. for international pharmacists represents 39 countries. More than 20,000 pharmacists from all over the world have successfully completed the College of Pharmacy’s continuing education programs. NSU’s passing rates on pharmacy licensing exams—above 90 percent—exceed national rates. In addition to the Pharm.D. degree, students may pursue a dual degree of a Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration (Pharm.D./M.B.A.). Three years ago, the college initiated a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program to train new teachers and researchers. BY NANCY MCVICAR