Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.). School of Pharmacy

Biography

The School of Pharmacy was founded in June 1886, when a group of Chicago druggists, under the direction of Northwestern trustee Dr. David R. Dyche proposed the establishment of a college to formally training pharmacists. Originally called the Illinois College of Pharmacy, though affiliated with Northwestern from the outset, the new school emphasized a course of study focused on the practical needs of the pharmaceutical profession. In addition to their formal coursework, students were required to complete three years of on-the-job training in order to receive their degrees. Entrance requirements were minimal: merely proof of a completed elementary school education.

From 1892 onward, the school was coeducational. While numbers fluctuated, annual enrollment eventually reached a high of 373 students. The school began losing money shortly after the turn of the century because most state pharmaceutical boards considered drug store training to be sufficient qualification for a pharmacist's license. Private institutions devoted to similar training soon came to be viewed as expensive and irrelevant.

In 1904-05, the School of Pharmacy raised its entrance requirement to the completion of one year of high school. As a result, enrollment dropped from 252 to 208, reaching a low of 156 students in 1908-09. Shortly thereafter, requirements were raised to include a full four-year high school program. By 1916-1917 enrollment had plummeted to just 59 students.

Northwestern cut its ties with the School of Pharmacy in June 1917, after suffering a 1916-1917 operating deficit of approximately $6,000. The School merged with a similar program at the University of Illinois.

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