University of the Sciences

University of the Sciences (USciences), officially the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, is a private university in Philadelphia, United States. USciences offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in pharmacy and other health-related disciplines. USciences was established in 1821 as the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, to become the first pharmacy college in the nation.

University of the Sciences
MottoNosse haec omnia salus est
Motto in English
To know all this is health
TypePrivate
Established1821
EndowmentApprox. $170 million
PresidentPaul Katz, MD
Academic staff
177
Undergraduates1,231
Postgraduates1,000
Location
Philadelphia
,
Pennsylvania
,
United States
CampusUrban
Athletics12 varsity teams, 17 intramural clubs
ColorsMaroon and slate          
AffiliationsDivision II NCAA, CACC, ECAC
MascotDevils, "Drake the Devil"
Websitewww.usciences.edu

History
Campus entrance

The history of University of the Sciences began when 68 Philadelphia apothecaries met in Carpenters' Hall in 1821 to establish improved scientific standards and to train more competent apprentices and students. They sought to enhance their vocation, as well as protect public welfare. Nearly a year later, they organized and incorporated the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (PCP), the first college of pharmacy in the nation.

Today, the university has 52 degree-granting programs in three colleges. Its more than 2,200 students have enrolled in premier programs in the health sciences, ranging across pharmacy with its direct entry doctoral program to pre-med to physical therapy to healthcare business and health policy. Students study almost the entire range of the health sciences in one of its three colleges:

  • Philadelphia College of Pharmacy — North America's first school of pharmacy and the start of the University, graduates the pharmacists and scientists who deliver and discover the healthcare innovations that advance patient care.
  • Samson College of Health Sciences — educates the vital healthcare professionals who add immeasurably to the quality of life at each step—from prevention to diagnosis to recovery of the patient care continuum.
  • Misher College of Arts and Sciences — provides a specialized undergraduate foundation for the sciences, with research and discovery at its core, for students seeking advanced degrees to lead in the basic and applied health sciences and serve humanity.

After its conception in 1821, the college began to grow in enrollment, curriculum, and stature. Although matriculation was originally limited to men, the college became coeducational in 1876, and issued the first pharmacy degree to a woman in the United States, Dr. Susan Hayhurst, in 1883.[1] The college initially emphasized the biological and chemical sciences as mainstays of the curriculum in pharmacy but later instituted separate curricula in three other areas: bacteriology, biology and chemistry.

In 1921, the name of the institution was changed to Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, with state authorization to grant not only the baccalaureate degree, but also the master's and doctorate in all four disciplines.

As the world of science continuously made advancements throughout the decades, the college evolved and expanded its curriculum to prepare students for the new wave of scientific breakthroughs. The college also enhanced the role of the humanities and social sciences in its science-based curricula. Primarily a commuter campus in its early days, the institution began to transform into one in which residential life and extracurricular activities played a larger role in student development.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania approved the institution's application for university status in February 1997. In recognition of the broad spectrum of new health and science programs introduced by the institution, the college changed its name to reflect the broader range of academic opportunities offered to its students. On July 1, 1998, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science officially unveiled its new identity as University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

A brand update in 2010 refocused the University's messaging and logos. The overall name was simplified for marketing purposes to University of the Sciences in order to emphasize a national and global reach, while a new logo transitioned the USP acronym to USciences to address awareness issues. In addition, the tag line “Where science and healthcare converge” was adopted to define both what the University is and what it is not.

In September 2017, the University launched a tuition reset for all students who enroll beginning in fall 2018. Undergraduate students will not pay more than $25,000 per year in tuition and general fee* for undergraduate coursework. And for those students who are accepted into one of the University's accelerated, 6-year doctoral programs in pharmacy, physical therapy, or occupational therapy, the University lowered and simplified the tuition and general fee*. The lower tuition is fixed for the student's academic career. *This pricing does NOT include room and board, health insurance, or any professional, clinical, or transportation fees.[2]

Shaping the profession of pharmacy

William Procter, Jr., often described as "the father of American pharmacy", was a PCP professor from 1846–1874, as well as serving as an officer of the board. He and Daniel B. Smith were instrumental in the founding of the American Pharmaceutical Association, the national professional society of pharmacists, which was founded and organized in Philadelphia in 1852. It is now called the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the first established and largest professional association of pharmacists in the United States. The more than 50,000 members of APhA include practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, pharmacy students, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession.

In 1868, John Maisch, PCP professor (1866–1893) and dean (1879–1893), proposed the creation of a pharmaceutical board to be appointed by the governor of each state and established the term "registered pharmacist". He shared his proposal with each governor and, by 1878, nine states had adopted pharmacy laws which licensed pharmacists. Every state now, of course, has a Board of Pharmacy which regulates the practice of pharmacy.

Started in 1820, the United States Pharmacopeia laid down the standards for manufacturing drugs. For more than a hundred years, PCP faculty members were instrumental in its development, serving as editors throughout many editions.

In 1825, the first periodical in the United States devoted to the art and science of pharmacy, the American Journal of Pharmacy, was published by PCP.

PCP professors Franklin Bache and George B. Wood compiled a comprehensive commentary on drugs, The Dispensatory of the United States of America. First published in 1833, the Dispensatory was authored and edited for more than a hundred years by successive generations of faculty at the college.

In 1885, PCP professor Joseph P. Remington published The Practice of Pharmacy, which soon became established as the standard text in the field. Later renamed Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy, this comprehensive reference work remains widely used throughout the world. The 22nd edition was published in September 2012 jointly by Pharmaceutical Press and the University of the Sciences.[3]

Marvin Samson Center for the History of Pharmacy

The Marvin Samson Center for the History of Pharmacy[4] is an integral part of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. The center's mission is to serve as an educational, cultural and research resource for the university, pharmacy professionals, historians and the general public through its collections of artifacts, objects and records representative of all aspects of pharmacy, including the pharmacy college's history. Through changing exhibitions, tours and programs, the center aims to deepen appreciation of the past, present and future significance of the pharmacy industry in the broader social context and in the development of American life, especially in the city of Philadelphia and the surrounding region.

Campus expansion program

The university doubled the size of the campus in 1998 when it acquired an adjacent, vacant industrial site that was formerly the home of the original Breyers Ice Cream factory which closed its Philadelphia operation in the early 1990s. BLT Architects designed the Athletic and Recreation Center which features a 1,000 seat event gymnasium, recreation gymnasium, natatorium, fitness areas, and a 1/10 mile indoor track.[5] The McNeil Science and Technology Center was officially dedicated September 2006.

In fall 2014, the university opened the Integrated Professional Education Complex (IPEX), a 57,000-square-foot, three-story building with learning spaces for health science programs. Four years later, however, the university announced that Mayes College of Healthcare Business and Policy would be dissolved as of July 1, 2018. The Department of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Business would become a part of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.[6]

In 2019, the university opened the Living & Learning Commons, a mixed-use residence hall with classroom, retail, living, and learning spaces.

Academics

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia has over 30 degree-granting programs for students from which to choose. The University is composed of three colleges: the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, Samson College of Health Sciences, and Misher College of Arts & Sciences.

Exchange agreements

The university has an exchange agreement with the University of the Arts (Philadelphia) that allows ten students from each university to take one course a semester at the other. The university also has an agreement with the New York University Study Abroad Program that will allow University of the Sciences students to study at NYU campuses in Asia, Africa and Europe for a semester or a year.

The J. W. England Library

The Library of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia was formed in 1821 at the second meeting of the Board of Trustees. Since its beginnings, the library has been considered one of the premier collections of pharmaceutical science in the country. In 1973, the library moved into its present quarters, the free-standing Joseph W. England Library. Small but specialized, the collection is particularly strong in pharmacy, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutics and foreign drug compendia. Other areas of specialization include toxicology, pharmacology and physical therapy. Contained in the Leopold Helfand Rare Book and Archives Room is a collection of seventeenth and eighteenth century botanicals, including a book once owned by Isaac Newton. Since the university and its graduates were fundamental to the building of the United States pharmaceutical industry, the university archives are of interest to anyone researching the origins of the pharmaceutical industry.

Athletics

The University of the Sciences (USciences) teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II. The Devils are a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. The baseball team participates in the Bill Giles Invitational tournament for Division II teams in the Philadelphia area.

Alumni

University of the Sciences has launched the careers of many innovative and pioneering individuals in the field of health care, including the founders of six of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies:

Major pharmaceuticals
  • Sir Henry Wellcome (Class of 1874) – co-founder of Burroughs Wellcome and Company, which is now part of GlaxoSmithKline.
  • Silas M. Burroughs (Class of 1877) – co-founder of Burroughs Wellcome and Company, which is now part of GlaxoSmithKline.
  • Josiah K. Lilly Sr. (Class of 1882) – father of Eli Lilly ('07). President of Eli Lilly and Company. The company was founded by Josiah's father, Colonel Eli Lilly.
  • Eli Lilly (Class of 1907) – president of Eli Lilly and Company. The company was founded by Eli's grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly.
  • Robert L. McNeil, Jr. (Class of 1938) – chairman and CEO of McNeil Laboratories Inc., now part of Johnson & Johnson. Campus building named after him.

Alumni contributions

University of the Sciences alumni have also contributed to the invention of well-known products,

References
  1. Henderson, Metta Lou; Worthen, Dennis B. (8 March 2002). American Women Pharmacists: Contributions to the Profession. CRC Press. p. 10. ISBN 9780789010926. Retrieved 29 November 2016 – via Google Books.
  2. "The tuition equation just got easier", University of the Sciences website
  3. "USP History".
  4. "Marvin Samson Center for the History of Pharmacy – University of the Sciences". usciences.edu. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  5. "Home – BLTa". BLTa. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  6. "USciences Announces College Restructuring for 2018-19". University of the Sciences.

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