Dear Pacific family,

On July 1, I stepped into the role as dean. When I made the commitment to come to Pacific I was unaware of the chaos that would be caused by a novel virus and widespread civil unrest. Even with these unexpected and very difficult challenges, I am excited to join an outstanding, dedicated team of faculty and staff. I also eagerly await opportunities to interact with students.

Over the past few months, Pacific faculty and staff have been working tirelessly in preparation of fully reopening our campus for the upcoming semester. Unfortunately, the rapid acceleration of COVID-19 cases in our region have led the University to decide it would be unwise to reopen the campus.

For the fall semester, all lectures and discussion sessions will be delivered online. Our faculty and staff are committed to providing innovative and interactive academic, professional and social experiences. We are working closely with Dean Bugnariu of the School of Health Sciences to obtain permission from the County and State to provide on-campus, in-person training and evaluation sessions for essential pharmacy and clinical skills. Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience rotations will be offered, with modifications as needed, due to site availability.

I echo President Callahan’s sentiment that our strength lies in our shared values and clarity of mission. One of Pacific’s greatest assets is the rich tradition and ongoing commitment of keeping the success of our students as the central focus.

In 1959, the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy celebrated its inaugural graduating class. In the decades since, our alumni have grown into a powerful network. Alumni — I look forward to meeting more of you over the coming months. I especially want to hear how Pacific prepared you for your career. I also want to hear your perspective on how we can best prepare pharmacists for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

In these unprecedented times we must work together and intentionally strive to bring out the best in one another. As the cloud of uncertainty caused by the pandemic continues to hover over us, we can each do our part to support one another. My challenge to you is to select a peer and send them a note of encouragement. Share how they have supported or encouraged you in the past and highlight one of their unique strengths. I believe this small act of kindness will help uplift us as together we push through the current challenges to not just survive, but to flourish and create a vibrant future.

Sincerely,