Pharmacy strikes gold

Largest financial gift in Ferris history donated to college of pharmacy

Thanks to the largest financial gift in Ferris history, 25 to 30 Ferris pharmacy students per year are going to siphon off $5,000 to $10,000 in college expenses thanks to a gift from Phil and Jocelyn Hagerman.

The school of pharmacy houses over 500 students currently, so a relatively small portion of students will see the benefit going towards expenses and debts that can approach $60,000 at the time of gradution.

The gift from the Hagerman Foundation is the largest in Ferris history. Phil Hagerman is an alum of the Ferris Pharmacy program and the current chief executive officer of Diplomat Pharmacy, based in Flint.

According to University officials, the gift will be used to fund improvements to the College of Pharmacy building and create the Hagerman Endowed Chair for Medical Informatics.

The College of Pharmacy is one of Ferris State’s most popular professional programs and the University estimates that half of the pharmacists in the state of Michigan are Ferris graduates.

The informatics chair will focus on the use of data in the name of improving the practice of pharmacy, a skill Hagerman says is in short supply but in high demand.

20-25 students will be selected annually for the $5,000 scholarship while five or six will be awarded the scholarship of the $10,000 variety. Scholarships will be awarded solely for academic performance according to officials.