The School of Pharmacy’s alumni- and donor-supported scholarships give students the confidence, creativity, and mentorship to thrive
By Logan Underwood
A scholarship is more than its face value — the impact goes far beyond its dollar amount.
“You need confidence and support to try something new and do something different,” says Mark Rogge (BS ’82, MS ’84), one of the donors supporting the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy’s Pharmacy Forward campaign.
In giving to the campaign, Rogge hopes that the School of Pharmacy’s future pharmacists will have the time to explore — to study health care issues in rural Wisconsin, to better understand medication shortages, or to explore how to increase medication access for people across the state.
“I hope that through this scholarship money, students can use the time that they would have spent working to begin looking at these issues and finding solutions — they’re the ones who will be given the responsibility to make healthcare better in the future.”
–Mark Rogge
“It’s giving those students the opportunity to do things that they otherwise would not have done — taking those chances,” he says. “I hope that through this scholarship money, students can use the time that they would have spent working to begin looking at these issues and finding solutions — they’re the ones who will be given the responsibility to make healthcare better in the future.”
Over its first two years, the Pharmacy Forward campaign has contributed to a $250,000 increase in annual scholarship support, including a new Pharmacy Forward scholarship.
The power of scholarships
Emma Darling, a first-year PharmD student, is one of the first recipients of the Pharmacy Forward scholarship supported by alumni donors like Rogge, Tom Thielke (BS ’67, MS ’69), and others.
“It’s motivating to have because when I’m in school, I can just focus on my studies, extracurriculars, and involvement in the School, rather than having to focus on the financial stress and seeking out ways to fund my education,” says Darling.
Receiving the scholarship as an incoming student also helped Darling feel like she was on the right path, pursuing her dream career of pharmacy at one of the top PharmD programs in the nation.
“It’s been so important to have the financial support, but also the motivation and reassurance, going into pharmacy school,” she says.
Jeremy Altschafl, assistant dean for admissions and recruitment at the School of Pharmacy, has seen this impact firsthand. With increased scholarship support, the School of Pharmacy is able to recruit more outstanding students who otherwise face financial barriers to attending pharmacy school.
“These scholarship awards have had a measurable impact in helping us bring in the best and brightest students from all over the country,” says Altschafl.
According to Altschafl and Jannelle Frey, the School’s PharmD admissions manager, the increase in scholarships is helping the School buck national trends. While PharmD programs across the country are experiencing declining enrollment, the School of Pharmacy has seen class sizes grow for the past two years. With scholarship support, the School of Pharmacy has become affordable for more exceptional students.
“We have many students from all over the country who indicate that they really want to come here and that this is their top choice,” says Altschafl. “They’re high-performing students, and they love the city of Madison, our program, and our school, but financially, they aren’t able to afford the cost of tuition. With expanded scholarship support, we can still welcome these talented students into our program.”
Career-shaping support
When Quinlan Chesak joined the School of Pharmacy, she was fast-tracking into the PharmD program, having completed her prerequisites at UW–Madison without earning a bachelor’s degree. She felt nervous heading into a program where she would be younger than many of her peers. But receiving an admissions offer with a scholarship made her feel recognized and supported heading into the strenuous transition.
“Not only did they like my application package enough that they thought I’d be a good fit for the program, but they wanted to offer me financial assistance,” says Chesak. “I just felt that support, value, and investment in my education and in my future right from the beginning.”
Ed Portillo, (PharmD '14), Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Advancement, delivers the welcome during the Student Scholarship Brunch on Sunday, November 16, 2025, at Gordon Dining and Event Center. (Paul L. Newby II, Freelance Photographer)
Now a fourth-year PharmD student, Chesak has received the Tom Thielke Leadership in Action Scholarship. Working toward a Path of Distinction in Research to specialize her PharmD education, Chesak dedicated hours each week to health outcomes research.
“Having that scholarship really made me have more free time to be working on this Research Path of Distinction, because I didn’t have to feel like I needed to be picking up extra shifts at work to be able to make my tuition payments,” says Chesak.
As well as being able to focus on research opportunities and education, Chesak was also able to find a mentor through her scholarship.
“I have a mentorship relationship with Tom, in addition to my scholarship, which is also super impactful to my career and future in pharmacy,” says Chesak.
Besides offering the Leadership in Action Scholarship, Thielke provided critical alumni insight on the design of the Pharmacy Forward campaign.
“It’s really a tragedy when finances become a barrier to come to a school that’s as good as Madison when you’re a top-quality student,” says Thielke. “We needed to figure out a way to offer more support to students of need to enable them to choose Wisconsin.”
Inspired to give back
Rogge was inspired to give back after reflecting on his own career and education. Upon graduating from the School, Rogge jumped into traditional industrial R&D and soon after into the emerging field of biotechnology, climbing the ladder to become global head of translational sciences at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Today, he serves on the School of Pharmacy’s Board of Visitors, works as part-time faculty member at the University of Florida, and helps start-up drug companies get off the ground, including serving as senior vice president of research and development at the start-up neuroscience company Vima Therapeutics.
“I just felt that support, value, and investment in my education and in my future right from the beginning.”
–Quinlan Chesak
“I’ve been fortunate to have worked on several drugs now on the market that are either truly lifesaving or have made immense improvements in the quality of life of many patients,” he says.
Rogge hopes his support allows students to dive into opportunities and take chances the same way has at every step of his career.
“It’s not only to take care of their immediate financial needs of tuition or housing — that’s very critical for these scholarships as well,” he says. “But above all that, I hope they can spark the creativity, time, and drive to go beyond.”
