The Beginnings... 

1930s labA department of chemistry and pharmacy was established in 1898 at Oregon Agricultural College with a four-year program leading to a B.S. degree in pharmacy. This four-year curriculum was an exception in pharmaceutical education of that era. Most pharmaceutical curriculums were two-year programs through the first quarter of the twentieth century.

Pharmacy and chemistry were separated into two distinct departments by 1909. Graduate study in pharmacy to the M.S. degree was offered beginning in 1914. In 1917 the department became the school of pharmacy. Professor Adolph Ziefle, who had been head of the department since 1914, was appointed the first dean of the new pharmacy school.

Building in 1924Enrollment increased after World War I and in 1923 construction was authorized for a school of pharmacy building. The building was constructed in 1924 for $100,000. Dean Ziefle's administration continued through the depression years and into World War II.

Dr. George Crossen resigned his post as pharmacy dean at Drake University to accept the position at Oregon State College vacated when Dean Ziefle retired in 1945. Post-World War II enrollment in pharmacy grew and curricular modifications were implemented. In 1951, Dean Crossen inaugurated a five-year curriculum leading to a B.S. degree in pharmacy. This was accomplished nine years before the five-year curriculum became the minimum curricular requirement for pharmacy schools in the United States. Thus, once again Oregon State was in the vanguard of the movement toward superior quality in pharmaceutical education. Graduate study for the Ph.D. degree in the pharmaceutical sciences became available in 1952.

Phar 305 in 1927In 1959, Dr. Charles O. Wilson assumed the deanship of the school after the untimely death of Dean Crossen the previous year. Dean Wilson recognized the need for enlargement and improvement of the school's physical facilities. Necessary funds in excess of $700,000 were obtained from the Oregon legislature and the National Science Foundation for renovation of the original building and an addition which nearly doubled the existing floor space. This project was completed in 1966.

Dr. Richard A. Ohvall was appointed as the fourth dean of the school in 1976. Curricular modification was undertaken to achieve an increased patient-oriented pharmacy education. The required clinical component of the curriculum was strengthened and expanded. Courses such as drug information, therapeutics, and communications skills help our graduates become effective collaborators with other professionals to provide total patient care.

New Roles and Affiliations... 

1930s building

The Drug Information Center, which was established at the school of pharmacy, was moved to the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland and combined with the Poison Control Center in 1977. A school of pharmacy faculty member was the associate director of this excellent teaching, research, and service facility. In July 1987, this facility again became two separate units, one was renamed the University Drug Consultation Service. This was a joint program between OSU and OHSU. OHSU assumed total responsibility for the Drug Information Service when it became a public corporation in 1995.

A formal affiliation with OHSU was negotiated with joint faculty appointments for several school of pharmacy faculty. Similar affiliations have been established with numerous community pharmacies and hospitals throughout the Willamette Valley.

An Assistant Dean for Pharmacy Practice (based at OHSU) was appointed in the fall of 1988. This, combined with the acquisition of space at OHSU, formally established a satellite campus for the College of Pharmacy at OHSU. There are 14.00 FTE faculty, 1.00 FTE professional staff and 2.00 FTE classified staff at this location. This satellite campus provides significantly greater capabilities for professional pharmacy education.

OHSU Today

In 1999, Dr. Wayne Kradjan was hired as the dean of the college. A memorandum of understanding was signed with OHSU in 2001 and Dr. Matt Ito was hired as the department chair of Pharmacy Practice in 2005. In 2006, the Portland-based campus moved to the Center for Health and Healing, the new OHSU location on the South Waterfront.  

The collection, retention, and recall of drug data are increasingly important to contemporary pharmacy practice. All pharmacy students receive experience in the use of computers for these processes. This helps our pharmacy graduates deal efficiently and effectively with pharmacy's vast knowledge system.

Continuing education activities for Oregon's practicing pharmacists are offered throughout the year. Several series of correspondence courses are available. These are especially useful to pharmacists in remote areas without convenient access to other organized continuing education programs. An annual seminar is offered in the fall. In addition, faculty present a variety of continuing education courses throughout the state to pharmacists and other health professionals.

Student Success and Involvement... 

Students Counseling

Pharmacy students at Oregon State University have an enviable national record and reputation. The students conduct health fairs in various Oregon communities and present speaking programs on several health topics to elementary and high school students. The students finance these service activities themselves.

Pharmacy school faculty conduct active research programs in various areas of the pharmaceutical sciences. This research is supported by over a million dollars a year of gifts and grants obtained from the public and private sectors. The faculty publish research findings in national and international scientific and professional journals. They participate actively in a broad range of scientific and professional societies as officers, serving on committees, and by presenting papers.

Becoming a College... Today

Beginning with the 1983-84 academic year, the School of Pharmacy became the College of Pharmacy.

The college has 46 faculty, 21 staff, and approximately 360 students in the professional program. The college has more than a thousand preceptors and approximately 50 affiliate faculty members who assist in a variety of ways with our teaching programs. There are dozens of graduate students studying for an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in the pharmaceutical sciences.

Graduates from the college find positions in community, hospital, and nursing home pharmacies, in the pharmaceutical industry, government services, and in pharmaceutical education.