See where our journey started in 1955
From launching the first three-year accelerated doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program in the nation to developing the first-of-its-kind CPJE and NAPLEX preparatory program presented by any pharmacy school, the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy serves as a leader in preparing students for lifelong success in health careers.
The Pacific experience is what sets our graduates apart. Equipped with the clinical knowledge cultivated through Pacific’s decades of experience and the leadership necessary to pioneer the future of pharmacy, our PharmD students fill numerous leadership positions.
Pacific’s chapter of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) serves as an umbrella organization that oversees all of the pharmacy-related student groups, including health care outreach committees, student chapters of professional organizations and professional pharmacy fraternities.
Always advancing
To stay ahead of the ever-evolving health care industry, we continue to advance our curriculum, programs, research and community outreach initiatives to stay a step ahead of the industry landscape. Our dedicated, experienced faculty supports students and graduates through their entire careers at Pacific, empowering them to succeed by providing access to state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment for meaningful, hands-on learning, mentoring, leadership and patient care.
Always engaging
At the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, students have an unparalleled advantage with connections to a powerful and influential network of alumni across the country. Our alumni leave a legacy of success and leadership, with Pacific graduates holding coveted status in local, state and national professional organizations. Many of our alumni have been honored with state and national recognition for their work, with several members awarded in their profession's Hall of Fame.
We proudly leverage our alumni network by connecting students to experts in the health care industry. This connection fosters collaboration with students through mentoring, precepting, providing research opportunities and sharing expertise inside and outside the classroom.
Always leading
Hands-on learning is key to our programs. Our faculty and staff are committed to providing innovative and unrivaled leadership opportunities that ensure graduates leave Pacific as practice-ready health care professionals.
As such, our students engage in local health care outreach activities and clinical rotations as part of their degree requirements, with options to choose from a diverse range of student organizations to gain leadership experience. For some students, this may mean traveling to conferences or presenting faculty-guided research.
By preparing the next generation of leaders, Pacific continues to thrive as a top health science school in the country.
The mission of the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy is to prepare students for lifelong success in health careers by providing an excellent, student-centered learning environment. We aspire to develop leadership skills in our students and a strong commitment to their professions, interprofessional collaboration and society. These efforts are assisted by linkages across University of the Pacific professional and liberal arts programs. We support outstanding professional and graduate teaching, research and other scholarly activity and services as a means of achieving our mission.
The Pharmacy program of the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy will be among the top 25 percent of private pharmacy schools in the United States—nationally and internationally recognized as a source of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists of exceptional ability who can effectively contribute to the health care team and system through the optimization of patient outcomes and scholarly work—and will be distinguished by innovative student-centered teaching, interprofessional education experiences and curricular programming, research and service.
At the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, we consistently strive to achieve and promote the following values:
- Accountability — recognizing that as health care professionals, we are patient-centered and responsible to help our patients optimize their health outcomes;
- Critical thinking and problem-solving — developing effective leaders and citizens of our communities and the world as providers and consumers of health care and members of our profession;
- Discovery — recognizing the obligation of the academy, contributing through discovery and scholarly activity to knowledge in the fields of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences;
- Ethics — in all of our interactions so that our teaching, practice, research, leadership and service are above reproach;
- Excellence — in practice, academics (both teaching and learning), research, service and leadership;
- Human dignity — recognizing that every individual deserves respect and will at different times both struggle and excel;
- Professionalism — encouraging integrity as an essential part of pharmacy practice, research and education;
- Student-centeredness — encouraging and fostering academic and professional interactions between students and faculty, both inside and outside of the classroom; and
- Quality improvement — developing and utilizing measurable quality assessment techniques along with best practices to inform decision-making and enhance the quality of our programs.
Who is APHA-ASP?
Learn how the American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) leads as a collective voice for student pharmacists.
Since 1955, the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy has been training health care professionals who are problem-solvers, innovators and leaders. The School was shaped into what it is today by the hard work, dedication and support of its charismatic faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends. Our history, individualized faculty-led experiential learning programs and the combined support of a powerful alumni network continue to lead student success.
President Robert E. Burns ’31, PhD set a precedent for innovation at Pacific. This spirit of risk-taking led him to establish the third pharmacy school in California. To make this daring dream into a reality required the leadership of a visionary dean who could see past the bare light bulbs and limited space of Weber Hall. President Burns recruited Ivan W. Rowland, PhD to be the inaugural dean. In turn, Dean Rowland gathered a core group of founding faculty.
Early on, the founding faculty established fraternities and student chapters of professional organizations, setting a standard for scholarly achievement, health care outreach and networking that the School continues to this day.
Organizations established
1956 | Alpha Psi chapter of Phi Delta Chi
1960 | Gamma Nu chapter of Kappa Psi
1964 | Beta Omega chapter of Rho Chi
1986 | Rho chapter of Phi Lambda Sigma
1992 | Lambda Sigma chapter of Rho Pi Phi
By 1960, the School had reached peak enrollment. Dean Rowland began to search in earnest for the space and funds for a new building. As a result, the Edward and Alice Long Memorial Hall was built, with its construction completed in 1969. A year later, in 1970, the School initiated the first accelerated three-year trimester pharmacy program in the nation.
In 2003, the Chan Family Health Sciences Learning Center and Clinics opened, providing much-needed classroom, lecture and clinical space. Renovations were completed in 2018, adding additional classrooms, offices and study spaces.
In 2005, the pharmaceutical care lab was dedicated in honor of Professor Emeritus Donald Y. Barker, PhD who, during his tenure at Pacific, taught and mentored thousands of students. In this lab, first-year students are introduced to compounding and working in a clean room environment to protect pharmaceutical products from contaminants.
The Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy name recognizes more than $20 million of support from the Thomas J. Long Foundation and the Long family over the course of the School’s history.
Learn more about the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy
From our undergraduate Pre-Pharmacy Advantage Program and bachelor of science in Pharmaceutical Science, our innovative master of science in Regulatory Science, our accelerated three-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program and our graduate Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences Program (PCSP), the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy is here to support you in your endeavor to lead with excellence.
