Before there were professors, a building or a first class of student pharmacists at East Tennessee State University, there were donation cans at grocery store checkout lines and a challenge from the governor.

More than two decades later, ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy stands as a testament to the support of donors big and small – including the late Bill Gatton, for whom the college is named – that helped make the school a reality after then-Gov. Phil Bredesen challenged the region to raise $5 million in private funds in 90 days.

It was a tall order, and the community delivered, raising the funds in less than 60 days.

That regional investment is being reinforced through renewed state support. Since its founding in 2005, Northeast Tennessee’s legislative delegation has tirelessly advocated for the college, securing $2.5 million in annual funding in 2023 and $3.2 million in additional funding in 2026.

That investment has made pharmacy education more accessible, with the ETSU Board of Trustees approving the college’s recommended reduction in tuition and investment in scholarships following the 2023 appropriation.

Additionally, the Tennessee General Assembly approved more than $26 million in funding for other projects, including:

- $19.2 million for critical utility infrastructure, enabling the university to modernize systems across campus.

- $7 million for capital deferred maintenance, which will support projects to preserve, enhance and extend the life of academic and research facilities on campus.

“These appropriations represent a meaningful and consequential investment in ETSU – one that will strengthen our capacity to serve students, support our employees and advance our mission to improve the quality of life for people in our region,” said ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland. “I am especially thankful for the ongoing support from state senators Rusty Crowe and Bobby Harshbarger, as well as State Representative Gary Hicks and the entire Northeast Tennessee delegation.”

“It is a great honor for our college to receive such strong support from our state and local leaders who recognize the incredible impact this institution has on this region and beyond,” said Dr. Debbie Byrd, dean of Gatton College of Pharmacy. “This funding has, and will continue to, make pharmacy education more accessible for everyone, increasing the impact our college has through its graduates who practice in communities across the nation – but primarily in Appalachia.”

State Rep. Gary Hicks called the funding a reflection of Gatton College of Pharmacy’s critical role in training the next generation of pharmacists. State Sen. Rusty Crowe highlighted the college’s impact on this region.

Both played a key role in making pharmacy education more accessible for the people of this region, the purpose for which the college was first founded.

“The investment made by the Tennessee General Assembly is a reflection of the critical public service Gatton College of Pharmacy provides to our communities every day,” said Hicks, who has a lecture hall named after him at Gatton. “ETSU is a community-focused university with world-class health sciences programs — including the largest academic health sciences center in the state of Tennessee — and Gatton exemplifies that standard of excellence.

“Gatton graduates consistently rank among the top five in the nation for licensure pass rates, which speaks to the quality of education students receive right here in northeast Tennessee,” he continued. “This new state funding will help ETSU continue to advance its mission of improving the quality of life for people in this region and strengthening the healthcare workforce and infrastructure our communities depend on. I am proud to support an institution that delivers results for our students, our region and our great state.”

“In rural areas, a local pharmacist is often the most accessible and most trusted healthcare provider a family has,” Crowe said. “I am so proud of what ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy has built right here in our region. The school is not only nationally acclaimed but also provides critical services to communities that need them most.

“ETSU students and graduates coming out of Gatton are on the front lines every day, serving the people of northeast Tennessee and improving health outcomes for Tennesseans,” he added.

For the university, the new investment is the latest chapter in a story that began long before the first student stepped into a pharmacy class at ETSU.

Gatton’s story can be traced back to conversations between university leadership and local pharmacist Guy Wilson, Dr. Larry Calhoun, the college’s first dean, recalled in a 2024 interview. The late ETSU President Emeritus Dr. Paul E. Stanton Jr., who served as president of the university at that time, recognized the need and championed the cause for a college of pharmacy at ETSU.  

“But you know, really, the most important piece of this was those students in those first few classes who took a chance on us,” said Calhoun. “They didn’t know if we knew what we were doing or not, and there were over 600 applicants for those first 60 spots.”  

Gatton remains a powerful example of what’s possible when this region unites for a common goal. Through the years, the college has never strayed from its original mission to support health and well-being in this region and beyond – as exemplified by student licensure exam pass rates, community impact and more.

Gatton’s community impact was recognized in 2022 when it was awarded the Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The award, given to one school annually, recognizes a major institutional commitment to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice and research. 

That impact is also evident in its exceptional student pharmacists, who, in 2023 and 2025, achieved pass rates on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination that ranked among the top five in the nation among accredited schools.

Student pharmacists in the college’s Academy of Student Pharmacists Operation Substance Use Disorders committee have secured three consecutive national awards for their work combating the opioid crisis, part of an extraordinary 13-year streak of national or regional recognition for the initiative.

During that stretch, they’ve collected and disposed of 14,300 pounds of unused medication, including more than 550 pounds of controlled substances as part of the college’s Drug Take Back program.

“ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy was built by the people of this region, for the people of this region – and we have never lost sight of that,” said Byrd. “Through the generations of student pharmacists that have walked through our doors, we remain committed to improving the health and well-being of our region.”

Learn more about ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at etsu.edu/pharmacy/.

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