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Purdue University. College of Pharmacy

 Organization

Historical Information

The idea of developing a school of pharmacy at Purdue University was first brought up in 1883 when Purdue's President James H. Smart visited the drug store of his friend, Indianapolis pharmacist John Newell Hurty. Hurty pointed out to Smart that it would be in the university's best interests to add pharmaceutical studies to its curriculum. Smart agreed to bring the idea up before Purdue's Board of Trustees with the provision that Hurty would head up the school for at least two years. In the fall of 1884, Purdue's School of Pharmacy opened its doors with an enrollment of seven students. The faculty of four was headed by Hurty, who traveled from Indianapolis one day a week to deliver lectures. In 1888, A. L. Green was officially appointed dean of the school after a two year interim period when Hurty stepped down as the school's head in 1886. That same year, Hurty was awarded the school's first doctorate degree in pharmacy.

The school originally shared Building No. 2 with the departments of Chemistry, Physics, Mechanics, and Civil Engineering. In 1894, these departments were moved to a new building and the School of Pharmacy became the sole occupant of the building.

In 1910, Charles B. Jordan was appointed head of the School of Pharmacy. One of his main goals was to provide more space for the growing school. By the 1920s the school had outgrown the aging building and at the urging of Dean Jordan, President Edward C. Elliott went before Indiana's General Assembly to request funds for a new building. The funding was granted and the new school, which was stocked and furnished by a generous contribution from J.K. Lilly, opened its doors in 1930. Dean Jordan also inaugurated several programs to insure a more complete education of pharmacy students. One of these programs was the nurturing and promotion of graduate studies. In 1925, Anna Florence Shireman became the first pharmacy student to receive a Masters degree. In 1932, Alice Haden became the first woman awarded a Ph.D. degree from Purdue University when she attained her doctorate through the Pharmacy School.

Glenn Jenkins became head of the School of Pharmacy in 1941 following the death of Dean Jordan. Jenkins immediately reorganized the graduate program and added departments of instruction for graduate work: pharmacology and pharmacognosy in 1941, bionucleonics in 1947, physical pharmacy in 1956, and pharmacy administration in 1957. In 1950, the first African American male to receive a Ph.D. at Purdue was Phillip V. Hammond, who received a doctorate in pharmacology. Five years later, Dolores Cooper became the first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. at the university with a doctorate in pharmacology. In 1960, the curriculum was changed from a minimum four-year course to a minimum five-year course with one year of pre-pharmacy and four years of pharmacy instruction. In 1963, the name of the school was changed from School of Pharmacy to School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences to indicate the school's new educational objectives. By the 1960s, Purdue's School of Pharmacy had become the fifth largest undergraduate and the largest graduate school of pharmacy in the United States. The school was a pioneer in pharmaceutical research, most notably in the area of bionucleonics, a term which was coined by Purdue's President Hovde and Dr. John E. Christian. When Jenkins retired in 1966, he left solid research and undergraduate programs as his legacy. His successors have followed his example and Purdue's School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences continues to be a world wide leader in pharmaceutical education and research. In 1970, the school moved into a new 145,000 square foot facility which was dedicated the Robert E. Heine Pharmacy Building in 1985.

From the first day of class in 1884 to the present, the school's philosophy and curriculum have been based on two basic principles: one, that the students should be educated in the appropriate sciences to become pharmacists who could serve in a professional capacity as pharmacist, researcher, or teacher who would contribute to the protection of the public's health; and two, in order to achieve these high standards the students would be educated by professional pharmacists and scientists devoted to teaching and research. Purdue's School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences continues to evolve and is dedicated to the education of future pharmacists and researchers.

Found in 15 Collections and/or Records:

William F. Gidley papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 22, Placement: 12
Identifier: MSF 143
Scope and Contents One folder containing articles by William Gidley.
Dates: 1915 - 1922

H. W. Heine papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 24, Placement: 06
Identifier: MSF 170
Scope and Contents One folder containing an article by H. W. Heine.
Dates: 1928

Hepburn and Sears papers

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSF 503
Scope and Contents This collection contains information compiled by William Hepburn and Louis Martin Sears for an unpublished book on the history of Purdue's academic departments: Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, the Engineering Experiment Station, Engineering Extension Service, Agriculture, Indiana Experiment Station, Agricultural Extension, Pharmacy, Home Economics, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Education, English, History and Economics, Modern...
Dates: 1922 - 1928

John N. Hurty papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 24, Placement: 19
Identifier: MSF 185
Scope and Contents The collection consists of one folder containing articles by Dr. John N. Hurty and a memorial about him.
Dates: 1897 - 1925

Glenn L. Jenkins papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 195
Scope and Contents The Glenn L. Jenkins Papers (1892-1992; 3 Cubic ft.) document the life and career of Glenn Jenkins, Dean of the School of Pharmacy at Purdue University from 1941 to 1966. Types of materials include correspondence, photographs, manuscripts, artifacts, patents, certificates, degrees, printed material and an interview transcript.
Dates: 1892 - 1992

Charles B. Jordan papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 26, Placement: 02
Identifier: MSF 200
Scope and Contents The collection consists of three folders containing publications by Charles Jordan.
Dates: 1915 - 1941

Charles O. Lee papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 27, Placement: 11
Identifier: MSF 220
Scope and Contents One folder containing the papers of Purdue University professor Charles Lee.
Dates: 1917 - 1940

Pharmacy Building records

 File — Box: Communal Collections 60, Placement: 09
Identifier: UA 121
Scope and Contents The Pharmacy Building records contain an information pamphlet from the first annual Pharmacy Night. It includes information about the Pharmacy program at Purdue as well as the building and what services were offered within.
Dates: March 17, 1931

Purdue University pharmacy class photograph

 Unprocessed — Box: OS photo
Identifier: 20160718

Purdue University pharmacy class photograph

 Unprocessed — Box: OS photo
Identifier: 20170308

Purdue University School of Pharmacy scrapbooks

 Unprocessed — Box: 4 scrapbooks
Identifier: 20130207.1

School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences records, Purdue University

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 53
Scope and Contents The School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences Records (1882-1992; 6 Cubic ft.) document the history, growth, and development of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences at Purdue University.
Dates: 1882 - 2023; Other: Date acquired: 11/30/2004

Varro E. Tyler papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 39, Placement: 12
Identifier: MSF 395
Scope and Contents The collection consists of one folder which contains the title pages from some of Varro Tyler's published articles and theses. There is also a list of published works.
Dates: 1951 - 1982

Charles E. Vanderkleed papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 39, Placement: 15
Identifier: MSF 398
Scope and Contents The collection consists of one folder which contains articles by Charles E. Vanderkleed.
Dates: 1902 - 1960

D. Watson papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 40, Placement: 07
Identifier: MSF 408
Scope and Contents The collection consists of one folder which contains an article by D. Watson.
Dates: 1928