As they say, it takes a village — and we have one of the very best. I want to thank all our alumni and friends for their gifts of time, talent, and treasure to the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy during the past year. I am a proud alumnus of the School of Pharmacy. I consider all contributions from alumni and friends to be very inspiring, and they make me proud to be a part of the Pharmacy Badger family. The impact of your giving has a significant impact on our future Pharmacy Badgers.  

Thank you to the more than 300 people, in addition to our preceptor network, who volunteered for admission interviews, served as leadership mentors for our students, lectured to or lead discussions with students, and provided practice experiences and research opportunities for students. We have a very generous and supportive group of alumni and friends who gave their time and talent to the School of Pharmacy in 2023.

Given the emphasis on recruiting pharmacy students to UW–Madison, we have many opportunities to meet with young people throughout Wisconsin to inform them about the benefits of a career in pharmacy, and our alumni are our key messengers. Consider reviewing our Volunteer Opportunities for a good fit for your time and talent to help us bring in the next generation of pharmacy leaders.  

Supporting students

Thank you to those of you who gave gifts of treasure to the School of Pharmacy. For example, last spring, we participated in the Day of The Badger and our spring campaign raised over $27,000 for our Student Success and Support Fund, where donations specially go to enhance the student experience for students in all of the School’s programs. The School of Pharmacy Board of Visitors offered a participation challenge for alumni, which unlocked an additional $14,800 for student support for reaching 140 gifts from alumni and friend in spring 2023, and the Pharmacy Alumni Association provided $2,500 to match gifts from recent alumni (i.e. graduating between 2012-2022).

The funds raised for the Student Success and Support Fund make a significant impact on the student experience and provide opportunities that would not be possible otherwise. Funds have been used by our student organizations, for example, to host guest speakers and programming to facilitate the professional development of our students and build community at the School of Pharmacy. The fund also provides a significant number of travel grants annually to support student attendance at national conferences for networking, residency exploration, exposure to cutting-edge topics, and to present research. We have an amazing group of students at the School of Pharmacy and gifts from alumni and friends help make their experience here so impactful!

We plan to participate in the Day of the Badger again this spring, on April 16 and 17. Once again, the Pharmacy Alumni Association will provide a generous recent alumni match and the School of Pharmacy Board of Visitors will provide a challenge match to help your donations go further. Save the date for Day of the Badger and help celebrate what makes the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy great! As the date approaches, we’ll share how you can show your Pharmacy Badger pride and contribute to the Student Success and Support Fund before June 30.

We continue to focus on our Pharmacy Forward campaign to raise scholarship dollars that can be used for admission scholarships to help us enroll the best and brightest pharmacy students. I want to thank alumni and friends who support scholarships for our students. The competition for students is fierce and admission scholarships enable us to enroll students who view UW as their top choice. 

Coming together

Each year we host a scholarship brunch to recognize student recipients and the generous donors. This past fall, donors and students met to get to know each other and learn more about motivations for giving to scholarships. At the brunch, former Dean Jeanette Roberts spoke to the group about the value of scholarship support and described the significant expansion at the School of Pharmacy in scholarship support for our students. Sean Baltes (PharmD Class of 2025), spoke to the group about the value of scholarship support for students attending UW. Look for information from us this summer about the 2024 Scholarship Brunch on Sunday, November 10, and help us bring donors and student recipients together again as we share our gratitude and foster relationships between our phenomenal students and alumni.

We have several alumni engagement events planned for the spring and early summer. We will be hosting an in-person Pharmacy Innovators engagement event in Milwaukee on April 23, as well as one in Madison on May 21, featuring alumni who are on the cutting edge of their fields. Later this spring, we will also be hosting the next installment of our Pharmacy Experts Webinar series, which will be focused on Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacy Practice. Lastly, I will be hosting our alumni reception at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Meeting Saturday, March 23, in Orlando. If you are attending the APhA meeting, please add the reception to your calendar. A large group of current students will be attending the APhA Meeting, and the reception is a great place to connect with them and help them build their professional network. Please also save the date for the fall Alumni and Friends Tailgate on Saturday, October 5, for the Badgers vs. Purdue Boilermakers game. As always, I look forward to seeing you at our alumni events.    

Thank you again for your donations of time, talent, and treasure that are so vital to the future success of the School of Pharmacy. As we continue to identify School needs, it is comforting to know that we have a strong group of alumni and friends who are committed to helping us meet those needs. Our strong Pharmacy Badger network is one attribute that makes the School of Pharmacy so great. I look forward to connecting with you and working with you in the future.

Thank you for helping the School of Pharmacy and On, Wisconsin!

Dave Mott (BS ‘88, MS ‘92, PhD ’95)
Associate Dean for Advancement