Dean's Letter to Students Regarding Professional Fees

Office of the Dean
521 Parnassus Avenue
Box 0622, Room C-156
San Francisco, CA 94143
tel: 415/476-8010
fax: 415/476-6632
pharmacy.ucsf.edu

September 27, 2007

Dear Students:

As you know, on September 20, 2007, the Regents of the University of California approved increases in professional fees for students in all of the University's professional schools, including pharmacy. While it is never pleasant to share news of a fee increase, I am certain that you all have questions regarding why (or even if) the increase was necessary, when it will take effect, to whom it will apply, and how much it will cost.

I share with you here details of the School's funding crisis and how it evolved. My hope is that after reading this letter you will better understand why, as a measure of last resort, I requested the fee increase.

Unlike other health professional schools, the School of Pharmacy's Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum has been severely under-funded by the State for more than four decades. For example, even though our curriculum is as intense in content, method, and length as any UC school of medicine curriculum, we receive only 31% of the amount a UC medical school receives from the State to educate a medical student. We have tried many, many times over the years to improve our funding formula to adequately cover the cost of providing your education, but the University has not been responsive. Additional cuts in State funding over the last decade have forced us to increase professional fees to offset funding cuts.

The long-range impact of this shortfall has been the unrelenting erosion of our infrastructure and an understaffed instructional program, which means that faculty members and staff must bear a workload beyond reason. If we are to ensure the continued quality of the PharmD program, meet new accreditation standards, and attract and retain the best faculty possible we must augment our resources. As we look to the future, we predict additional costs arising from new, faculty-intensive accreditation standards.

We are not alone in this fiscal crisis. The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCSD faces similar financial pressures, and professional fees for UCSD student pharmacists will rise by the same amount as those for UCSF student pharmacists.

The professional fees approved by the Regents represent increases over a 3-year period and will impact all student pharmacists, effective Fall 2008. Your professional fees will increase by $1,760 per year for the next 3 years to a total of $13,635 in 2008-09, $15,395 in 2009-10, and $17,155 in 2010-11.

A critical question is how an increase of this magnitude will impact accessibility and affordability. We know that the vast majority of you are on financial aid and depend upon grants and loans to fund your education. This is why 33% of the revenue generated from the fee increase will be returned to financial aid in the form of additional grant funds. In addition, I will continue my recent successful efforts to make funding for student scholarships a priority in our development efforts with alumni and other partners. I will also continue to lobby for a fundamental increase in State funds to support the PharmD program.

I recognize that this is difficult news for students, and that the increase in the cost of your education will impact each of you in significant ways. The fiscal situation facing the School is a critical one, and these increases are essential in order to maintain our commitment to offering you and those who follow you the best education possible.

If you have any comments or questions, please email me at kodakimblem@pharmacy.ucsf.edu

Sincerely,

Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, PharmD
Professor and Dean
T.J. Long Chair in Chain Pharmacy Practice