Xavier receives $8 million to attract African Americans into pharmacy

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded an $8.3 million grant to Xavier University (XU) of Louisiana College of Pharmacy to recruit underrepresented minority students and faculty members.

“This grant will enhance our on-going efforts to recruit students with the capacity and skills necessary to successfully complete the pharmacy curriculum, and then help to ensure that those students are nurtured and developed by faculty members who are responsive to their needs and committed to their success," said Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, dean of the XU of Louisiana College of Pharmacy and the program director of the grant. "It will also allow the college to provide an environment in which faculty members can grow professionally to serve as positive role models for students.”

XU will partner with Tuskegee Institute’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Meharry Medical Colleges’ Schools of Dentistry and Medicine to share best practices in recruitment and retention of students, the development of culturally relevant educational materials, mentoring, and faculty development. All three are historically black colleges and universities.

XU is one of the two pharmacy schools in Louisiana. Nationally, it is consistently one of the top four producers of African American pharmacy graduates.

Established in 1927, XU’s College of Pharmacy offers a PharmD degree and has about 600 students.