Paintsville, Ky. - Midway College announced earlier this month that it will open the Midway College School of Pharmacy in Paintsville, Kentucky.

Speaker Greg Stumbo along with other legislators, local officials and Midway College administrators were on hand to make the announcement at Johnson Central High School in Paintsville.

Midway College Board of Trustees Chairman James J. O’Brien, Chairman and CEO of Ashland, Inc., made the announcement to a large audience who gathered to celebrate the news. “This decade is the most transformational in the institution’s history and we are committed to continuing this upward spiral of progress in the advancement of education,” said O’Brien.

Midway College President Dr. William B. Drake, Jr. explained why Midway chose to open its first professional school 130 miles from its home campus.

“Some will ask why Midway College? Why Paintsville? And why now? The answers to those questions are simple. First, it fits our College’s mission and fits into the growth of our health curriculum. Second, this community is supportive of this type of project. They understand the value of education. And it is an incredibly attractive place to work, live and earn your professional degree. We say, why not Paintsville. And why now? Because there is a need for pharmacists all across the nation. Based on industry information there are approximately five applications for each opening at pharmacy schools in the U.S.”

The Midway College School of Pharmacy will be located temporarily on the Mayo Campus of Big Sandy Regional and Technical Center in Paintsville. The College will establish a permanent campus in the future once a suitable location has been identified.

Other details of the project include:

• Midway College School of Pharmacy will offer a fully accredited Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. The Pharm.D. is the single entry professional degree in the United States to become a pharmacist.
• The School will enroll up to 80 students per year; 320 students maximum when fully operational.
• The School will employee approximately 100 full and part-time faculty and staff members; many of the faculty will be recruited from outside of Kentucky due to the specialized nature of the pharmacy curriculum.
• January 2011 the school will begin accepting students for August 2011.
• The School’s faculty salaries will be in the 75th percentile of pharmaceutical faculty salaries in the United States.
• Average annual tuition per student is $31,000
• Dr. Lanny Foss has been hired as the founding dean of the Midway College School of Pharmacy. Dr. Foss has over 30 years of experience and has been working with Midway College since May 2009 on this initiative.

Fifth District U.S. Representative Hal Rogers expressed his support at the announcement.

“What an historic day for Southern and Eastern Kentucky,” said Representative Rogers. “This project will bring a hundred good paying jobs to the region during a time of high unemployment rates. It also builds educational resources at home to continue the mission of providing quality opportunities so our best and brightest students don’t have to leave Kentucky for professional degrees and careers.”

For more on the Midway College School of Pharmacy in Paintsville, see:

Official Midway College release

Announcement coverage in the Lexington Herald-Leader

Paintsville’s pharmacy school follows a familiar path (Herald-Leader)