One of my favorite parts of my role as the Dean of the School of Pharmacy is the opportunity to meet with our outstanding alumni. I am continually impressed with not only the caliber of our graduates but the major contributions our alumni make to the field of pharmacy. Badgers succeed in their careers and lead the way forward in pharmacy practice, industry, and education.

During this season of gratitude, I am incredibly thankful for our alumni and friends who give their time, talent and treasure to the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy and fellow Badgers. The value that alumni and friends provide to the School and to each other cannot be understated.

We recently invested in our alumni by establishing the role of an Associate Dean for Advancement, held by David Mott (BS ’88, MS ’92, PhD ’95). Dave will lead the charge to connect, inform, and engage our alumni community and better connect our alumni with our students. Additionally, we hired a new Alumni Relations and Advancement Coordinator, Alissa Karnaky, who joins us after a decade of campus experience at the School of Social Work and in the administration of the College of Letters and Science. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Dave and Alissa and share your ideas about how the School of Pharmacy can connect with our alumni and friends in the coming year.

Unfortunately, Chris Natynski, our Director of Development at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association will be leaving us to join the University of Colorado Boulder. Chris will lead the development program at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics. He has worn many hats during his time at the School of Pharmacy and has done a tremendous job. We will miss Chris and we wish him well.

This fall, hundreds of alumni attended engagement events held by the School of Pharmacy in Madison, San Antonio, and Minneapolis. Our Citations of Merit event in Madison honored three alumni and one former faculty member who made distinguished contributions to the world. Our engagement events are a great way to reconnect with other alumni and build your personal network. Please continue to look for communication about these pharmacy events and we hope to see you at them in the future.

One of the ways alumni make a difference at the School of Pharmacy is through contributions. We are grateful for the gifts that help provide the best educational experience possible, recruit and retain world-class faculty, and support research and innovation. Our annual campaign each fall is our major source of flexible dollars that allow us to be nimble and meet the needs that arise during the year. Gifts of any size to this fund are greatly appreciated.

We are also working on a number of other initiatives to support students at the School of Pharmacy. A new endowed scholarship fund sponsored by the Pharmacy Alumni Association will ensure that future generations of students in all School of Pharmacy programs receive the financial support they need to succeed, including both tuition and non-tuition expenses. Every gift to this fund helps support students in perpetuity. Second, a new campaign for an endowed graduate student scholarship will celebrate the legacy of emeritus Professor Dan Rich, thanks to matching funds generously provided by Roger Tung (PhD ’87) and Francesco Salituro (PhD ’84).

We hope that you will take the opportunity to re-engage with the School of Pharmacy this upcoming year. There are many ways that you can do this, including:

• Catch up with your peers in the Class Notes, and submit your own update for the next issue.
• Sign up for Badger Bridge, a new platform that connects School of Pharmacy alumni and students with each other for career development.
• Update your contact information, including your e-mail, phone number, and mailing address to stay connected and informed about School of Pharmacy-sponsored alumni events.
• Host a class reunion event to bring together your classmates.

In fact, we’ll reward you for signing up for Badger Bridge and updating your contact information by December 31, 2019, by entering you into a drawing to win prizes, including alumni gear, your favorite flavor of Babcock ice cream, or a “Taste of Wisconsin” gift basket, if you sign up or update your contact information by December 31, 2019. Please look for a postcard in the mail with more details about this.

Alumni have also given countless hours to the School of Pharmacy by mentoring students, providing career advice, participating in career fairs, interviewing prospective students, and providing insight from the field by guest-lecturing in courses. We are so grateful to those who pass on their expertise and knowledge to our students. Our students and faculty are very appreciative of the time and talent that our alumni give to the School.

Thank you for helping the School of Pharmacy to excel in serving our mission. I remain proud and grateful to be the Dean of an institution with such a profound impact on the quality of life for the people of Wisconsin and the global community.

Happy holidays and On, Wisconsin!

Steven M. Swanson, Dean