New pharmacy school eyed for Mississippi

William Carey University (WCU) in Mississippi is trying to raise $4 million for upfront costs for a new pharmacy school.

University officials told the Sun Herald that a new pharmacy school in the region is needed to meet the demand for pharmacists and for area students looking to study pharmacy.

Do new pharmacists face a joblessness crisis?

WCU officials said Mississippi faces a shortage of more than 400 pharmacists over the next two years. They say the University of Mississippi, the only pharmacy school in the state, cannot meet the demand alone because it accepts a maximum of 115 students a year.

"We know that not only is there a need for pharmacists in our states, but there's also a student demand," Monica Marlowe, the school’s chief advancement officer, told the newspaper. "We know that when you can keep those students in state, get them here and let them do their clinical components here, you have a much better chance of retaining them in state."

Marlowe said the school would create 42 new jobs, an annual payroll of $4.5 million, and have an annual economic impact of $6.6 million.

Currently, there are five pharmacy schools in the region--the aforementioned University of Mississippi, Auburn University, Samford University in Alabama, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and Xavier University in Louisiana.