Class of 2030 begins PharmD journey

Joining the ranks of the next generation of leaders and health care providers, the Harrison College of Pharmacy Class of 2030 recently began its journey toward the Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

The Class of 2030 is made up of 142 students, with 121 on the Auburn campus and 21 on the Mobile campus. The class is made up of students from 12 different states, including Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as one from South Korea.

Alabama residents make up the majority of the class with 76.8% in-state and 23.2% out-of-state. A little more than 50% attended Auburn as an undergraduate while the remainder of the class hailed from 36 different colleges and universities. Additionally, 42.3% of the students completed their bachelor’s degree prior to entering pharmacy school with many more completing degrees through a number of 3+1 programs. Two of the students completed their pre-requisites via the Harrison College of Pharmacy’s undergraduate Drug and Biopharmaceutical Sciences program.

After a week of orientation, the class participated in its White Coat Ceremony at the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center. The white coat serves as a universal symbol of the health care professions. Receiving the symbolic white coat is a rite of passage for student pharmacists that encourages professionalism and empathy in the practice of pharmacy.

"It is a pleasure to welcome the Class of 2030 to the Harrison College of Pharmacy and we are excited to see them develop the knowledge, skills and leadership abilities that will prepare them for their careers and shape the future of pharmacy,” said Dean Leigh Ann Ross. “The White Coat Ceremony is an important milestone that reflects our commitment to professionalism, patient care, and service. 

An important part of the White Coat ceremony included the recitation of an oath of commitment that students make to the pharmacy profession and to the health of patients they will serve. In reciting this oath, students publicly acknowledge their willingness to meet the professional expectations established by the pharmacy community.

“Seeing our students receive their white coats for the first time is always a special moment,” said Ross. “It is a celebration of this next step in their professional journey and a meaningful reminder of the responsibility they are beginning to assume as future pharmacists.”

The Harrison College of Pharmacy is grateful to McKesson, a leading health care company for wholesale medical supplies and equipment, pharmaceutical distribution and health care technology solutions, for its support of the White Coat Ceremony.