A new hot topic for those who have graduated or who are attending the University of Dallas is their recent shutting down of the project to open a new pharmacy school for the incoming class of 2010. While many of the student body (both past and present) seem to be rejoicing - I can't help but think of the implications of this move upon the financial situation of the school.
It was stated that the reason behind the closing of the program was due to the economic situation that the school (and the rest of the country) is undergoing at this point in time. However, I would be very interested in the answer that the Board of Directors would give to the questions concerning the interest that could have been garnered through the University being able to claim ownership of the only Pharmaceutical program in the North Texas area. Would that not have been enough to not only cover the cost of the development of a scientific program (a program that would include the strong moral and spiritual basis that the entire existence of UD is based upon none-the-less) but also generate a large amount of profit for the school?
The majority of the reasons for 'rejoicing' that the student body erroneously is experiencing at the moment are due to the misunderstanding of the proposed addition as nothing more than a "trade school." Now, considering the literal definition of a trade school (i.e., "a secondary school that offers instruction in skilled trades; a vocational school") could you not claim the same for any program that offers a decent education? The scholastic program in and of itself could be viewed as nothing more than a large trade school - a trade school theoretically designed to train individuals in the vocation of being a learned individual. But I deviate. The understanding of a Pharmacy Program (or, for any case, a medical program designed to train potential doctors) as nothing more than a trade school is something that is both naive and extremely arrogant. As such, I would hope that the school reconsider their recent move to disband what was potentially the largest positive move in the recent history of the University, if for no other reason than to actually put a pseudo-quantifiable reason for their dismissal of the program other than that it makes them feel "uncomfortable."
