A career in pharmacy is one of the top careers in the country, according to rankings released by U.S. News and World Report. Pharmacist is ranked third in the annual listing of jobs across the nation, and second in the health care category.
“This verifies what I have always thought was the case,” says Dr. John Pieper, president of St. Louis College of Pharmacy. “I think it speaks to the fact that pharmacy is viewed nationally as an exciting, challenging profession.”
The report stated, “Job prospects should be excellent in the field in the years to come, and the earnings potential remains relatively high.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is expected to grow by 25 percent by 2020 and add nearly 70,000 new jobs.
More than 1,200 students are enrolled at St. Louis College of Pharmacy, which makes the College one of the largest colleges of pharmacy in America. Unlike most other colleges of pharmacy, students are admitted directly from high school and earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Plus, the College sits in the middle of one of the premier biomedical complexes in the world.
Those two aspects, says Dr. Pieper, gives St. Louis College of Pharmacy graduates an advantage.
“The uniqueness of our integrated pharmacy program, plus our co-location within a premier education, patient care and biomedical research center are the two compelling features of the College that no other pharmacy school has,” says Dr. Pieper.
1.5M black students face debt increase
Interest rates on new subsidized Stafford student loans for undergraduates are scheduled to double on July 1, from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Unless Congress acts to stop the increase, more than 7 million students around the country – approximately 1.5 million African American students – would see their student loan debt increase. If the interest rate doubles, the estimated average increase in student loan debt for African American students would be more than $1,000 over the life of the loan.
“At a time when going to college has never been more important, it has also, unfortunately, never been more expensive,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. “Families and students are struggling to meet these costs, and there’s no reason why we should add to their burden.”
“While some African-American students are fortunate enough to come out of college debt-free, many are not,” John Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), said. “Increasing the student loan rate at a time when America needs a workforce that can compete in this global economy is not smart business. It’s simply unfair. Going to college shouldn’t be a luxury for few, but a realistic goal for all students regardless of their economic backgrounds.”
In addition to efforts to keep student loan interest rates from doubling, the Obama Administration has taken significant steps to make college more affordable for all students. The Administration is providing billions of dollars a year in aid to needy students through Pell grants and helping students to better manage their debt after graduation with programs like income-based repayment and public service loan forgiveness.
The President is also proposing a number of new initiatives to keep college costs from rising, including doubling the number of work-study jobs within five years; making the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent; and providing new incentives for states and institutions to keep college costs from escalating.
The U.S. Department of Education and Administration officials are traveling the country holding events to raise awareness about increased student loan interest rates unless Congress takes action soon. Students and their families can join the conversation via twitter hashtag “#DontDoubleMyRate.”
