Northeast Tennessee legislators gathered Friday at Quillen College of Medicine to gain public support for a freestanding pharmacy school at ETSU.
“The last bit of what we need is community support,” said State Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, during a press conference where buttons reading “Support ETSU Pharmacy School” were handed out.
Hill said the buttons, which will be given to area businesses by members of the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce, will serve as a reminder for local residents to call and write Gov. Phil Bredesen to show “full, complete and unwavering support for a freestanding pharmacy school at ETSU.”
The announcement followed the recent introduction of a bill in the state House of Representatives by local lawmakers, which would authorize the ETSU governing body, the Tennessee Board of Regents, to establish a pharmacy school without ties to the University of Tennessee.
Introduced by Rep. Jerome Cochran, R-Elizabethton, the bill has had overwhelming support from local legislators, regardless of party affiliation.
Lawmakers focused on the economic impact a freestanding pharmacy school would have on the area and noted that the school would operate with tuition and private donations, not state funds.
“It’s going to be a benefit for the whole region,” said state Rep. David Davis, R-Johnson City, after the press conference Friday. “It’s a win-win for the taxpayers and for the state.”
The announcement was the latest in what has become a seven-month process to garner the political support needed to build the school.
In August, ETSU President Dr. Paul Stanton announced plans for the proposed school, citing a “desperate” need for pharmacists in the region.
After the proposal was submitted, UT, fearing a loss of state funds, made a counterproposal to expand its Memphis-based school to Nashville and Knoxville.
To help settle the matter, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission hired a consultant to study the two plans. Based on the consultant’s recommendations, the schools agreed to work together to find a solution.
With talks set to end Friday, Stanton said discussions have been “cordial and positive.”
“But there have been stumbling points along the way,” he said, referring to the UT plan that would require students to spend their first year of school in Memphis before finishing up the program at ETSU.
Stanton did not say which university would manage the proposed school, but he remained positive about the discussions.
“We’re going to have a college of pharmacy here,” he said. “Maybe in a few weeks we’ll be able to show you what it looks like.

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