Walgreens donation to fund pharmacy student scholarships

Walgreens drugstore presented Florida A&M University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences with a $250,000 donation at a news media conference Tuesday in Lee Hall at 11:45 a.m.

The check was presented to COPPS to be applied toward the college’s scholarship programs.

COPPS was relieved of its probation on Jan. 14 and had its accreditation reinstated until 2010.

“We are extremely pleased to receive this donation,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons.  “It will assist us in our effort to continue to recruit the best and brightest students to the pharmacy program.  Increasing the number of scholarships for our students is one of my key priorities, and I would like to thank Dr. Lewis and Walgreens for supporting us in this area and making this donation a reality.”

Walgreens, which operates 6,149 stores in the United States, has 742 stores in the state of Florida.

Representatives of Walgreens attended the event to present the check. Three of the four attending representatives are FAMU graduates. Pharmacy Supervisor Manuel Littlefield from Tallahassee graduated from FAMU in 1987; Pharmacy Supervisor Jeff Roland from Pensacola graduated in 1998; and Pharmacy Manager Elbonie Moore from Tallahassee graduated in 2002.

We are happy to support FAMU with this donation, and we look forward to bringing new students into the pharmacy profession,” Littlefield said.

COPPS Dean Henry Lewis III said Walgreens has been a supporter of the college in multiple ways.

“Walgreens pharmacy has been a long time friend, supporter of the college’s various programs, and one of the leading employers of our students graduating from COPPS,” Henry Lewis said.  “It is through this type of assistance that we can achieve our vision of academic and research excellence.”

Information compiled from press release.