Now that the USC Board of Trustees has approved the merger of its pharmacy school with the one at MUSC, some students are still determined to show their opposition.
Students who established www.protectpharmacy.org in April to urge administrators to proceed cautiously when considering any potential merger say they are still left with questions about how much influence USC faculty members and students will have in the new school.
"I think the Board of Trustees was strongly misled," Bryan Mayer, a fourth-year pharmacy student, said about the merger with the Medical University of South Carolina.
Opponents want USC to maintain independent accreditation, its own admissions process and a dean that reports only to the USC administration. The plan is to seek single accreditation only after an integrated curriculum, developed by faculty members from both schools, is implemented for all students; an executive dean is hired with a dean at each campus reporting to him or her; and a single admissions process is implemented with students having the choice of which campus to attend.
"The research aspects of both universities ought to be joined together. The academic aspects need to be left independent," Mayer said.
Third-year professional pharmacy student Bryan Amick, who also helped lead the student protest, said students and faculty members he talks to are also disappointed with the merger agreement.
Several students and faculty members wouldn't comment for this article, but several admitted that supporters are hard to find, especially among alumni.
College of Pharmacy Dean Farid Sadik openly supported the merger at the board meeting Oct. 22 after saying in April that he wanted to have more discussion with administrators before proceeding.
"We are going to continue to make our voices heard. There are a lot of decisions that are still to be made," Amick said, adding that faculty members plan to consult students when designing the integrated curriculum.
Vice President for Research Harris Pastides proposed last week that faculty members and administrators from both schools comprise a conflict resolution board to address student concerns as they arise.
Pastides said USC's pharmacy dean will report to the new executive dean, who will report to both universities' boards of trustees, but will still have interaction with USC's administration for issues specific to this campus.
As for accreditation, Pastides said the merger will take a long time so as to ensure the curriculum for the students' best interests is implemented.
"The accredited program at USC won't go away anytime soon," he said.
Mayer said a joint curriculum isn't at all in the students' best interest because MUSC has a hospital-related teaching method while USC has a model emphasizing more laboratory instruction. He said the only motivation is to bring more research money to both universities, a goal he said is admirable.
Pastides and other administrators will readily admit that they are interested in bringing in more money but also want to develop the strongest single program the state could offer.
Mayer said he wants USC to maintain its own curriculum and admissions process in order to maintain its top-10 ranking in the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education for admissions standards.
"Dr. Pastides seems very sympathetic toward our views on it," he said.
Despite students' claim that people associated with the college as a whole are against the merger plan, several notable voices have weighed in for support. The State newspaper endorsed the plan for its focus on advancing research interests in South Carolina. Alumnus Donald Beam donated $5 million to USC pharmacy education in September and said he hopes to see a smooth integration to one school.
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