Published September 13, 2012 This content is archived.
To: University Community
From: Charles F. Zukoski
Provost and Executive Vice President
for Academic Affairs
Michael Cain
Vice President for Health Sciences and
Dean, School of Medicine and Biomedical
Sciences
Date: September 13, 2012
Re: Dean Wayne K. Anderson
We are writing to share with you that Wayne K. Anderson has informed us of his intention to step down as dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, effective at the end of the current academic year, in order to resume his faculty role as a teacher and scientist. An exceptional dean, Wayne has significantly advanced each of UB’s scholarship, research, and teaching missions and has left the school well-poised to build on this success for years to come. We are especially grateful that Wayne has agreed to continue his service as dean as we conduct a national search for the next dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
A UB faculty member since 1968, Wayne became the tenth dean of the SPPS —the only Pharmacy School in the SUNY system—in 1994. His 18 years of leadership have truly transformed the school.
Wayne’s influence on the educational mission of the school has been extraordinary. He established combined B.S./M.S. programs in the pharmaceutical sciences as well as new MS foci. He established the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program at UB, and worked to secure approval from the New York State Department of Education for the Pharm.D. as the first professional degree of its kind in New York State. In addition, he increased the diversity of the entering Pharm.D. class through improved recruitment practices and increased by more than four-fold endowed support for student scholarships.
His ability to build partnerships with the State and with private enterprise has benefitted the community as well as students. He collaborated with the New York State Department of Health and other SUNY health professional programs in order to meet the need for medication therapy management programs for New York’s Medicaid program. He also helped develop cooperative post-Pharm.D. fellowship programs with the pharmaceutical industry.
His impact on research has been equally impressive. Over the course of his tenure as dean, research support has grown substantially, enabling the school to sustain its ranking as one of the most research intensive in the nation. Dean Anderson established a Pharmacotherapy Research Center (PRC); a central major instrumentation center in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and the Pfizer Center of Excellence in Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics. A skilled administrator, Wayne has been a longtime campus leader in development, leveraging considerable support from alumni and the private sector throughout his tenure.
Through his leadership, the new Kapoor Hall has evolved from the planning stages to an impressive reality. In addition to developing and gaining approval for plans and leveraging State and private support, Wayne worked closely with the building architects to ensure synergy with the newly designed curriculum. This fall, UB students will first experience that new curriculum in this state-of-the-art facility.
Wayne’s accomplishments during his tenure as dean are nothing short of exemplary. His leadership has advanced UB’s mission both in the school as well as in the broader communities we serve.
Colleagues, please join us in thanking Wayne, and wishing him much continued success as he prepares to return to teaching and his scholarly activities.