THE PURDUE
PHARMACIST
4&&
PURDUE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACAL SCIENCES
Vol. 63
Spring 1986
No. 2
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idieu!
Varro E. Tyler, Dean
After 47 years in pharmacy (I started working behind a drugstore soda fountain at age
12) and 20 years as Dean of the School of
Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences at Purdue, the time has come to say goodbye to
the profession and the School. Although the
farewells will not be absolute in either case,
beginning July 1 of this year, pharmacy-
related matters will be only a small part of
my overall concerns. President Steven C.
Beering has asked me to join his administrative team as University Executive Vice
President for Academic Affairs, a position
which presents a challenge and an opportunity that I cannot decline.
Purdue is one of a very small number of
truly great universities in this nation. But
what is even more important, Purdue has,
under the dynamic and capable leadership
of President Beering, the opportunity to become one of the very best. To be able to
join him and the greater University family
in this quest for excellence is most exciting. I look forward to my future role with
xeat enthusiasm.
t is not my intention to recount here all
of the changes that have taken place in
pharmacy at Purdue in the last 20 years.
For me, it is sufficient to say that they have
been both numerous and positive. I found
a strong School when I arrived in 1966; I
honestly believe that I am leaving an even
stronger School in 1986. No matter what
parameters you wish to consider — faculty
quality and quantity, physical facilities and
equipment, library materials, external and
internal funding, the student body's ability and size, professional programs, ex-
ternship-clerkship, degree opportunities,
graduate and research programs, national
and international stature — the School today is far better than it was 20 years ago.
Naturally, I take great pride in these accomplishments. They reflect well upon the
abilities and dedication of the excellent
faculty and fine supporting staff that made
them possible. If just a little bit of that
reflected brilliance shines beyond them and
reaches me, that is all I could ever ask.
During the entire period my administrative
philosophy has remained unchanged — get
good people and make it possible for them
to do their jobs with a maximum of assistance and a minimum of interference.
With only a rare exception or two, the
results have been highly gratifying.
That is why, in spite of the excellent opportunity awaiting, it is hard for me to move
on. It is difficult to leave the close associations developed with so many wonderful
colleagues, students, and alumni over the
last two decades. Therefore, although it is
time to say goodbye, I choose not to say
it. English is a beautiful, expressive language, but some of its words are simply too
blunt to convey the appropriate nuances of
intended meaning. Many other languages
say it better. Both the French au revoir and
the German auf wiederschen imply a future meeting, and the Spanish adios invokes
the company of diety for those undergoing
separation.
There is one word of Latin origin which
has been accepted into English that also
calls for this latter blessing. It is a good
word, but we seldom use it except in poetry and in musical lyrics. It means quite
literally to go with God, and I use it in just
that way for all of my pharmacy collegues
and associates of the past 20 years here at
Purdue. It is — adieu!
THE EDITOR'S COLUMN
On behalf of the students, may I pass on
our best wishes and congratulations to
Dean Tyler on his recent promotion to Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of Purdue University. During my
short tenure as editor of The Purdue Pharmacist I have enjoyed the chats we had
regarding the news for this paper — and
I appreciated very much your consideration and coorperation when deadlines were
"yesterday," Dean.
Since I am in my fifth year I will be handing the editor's reins over to Sherri
Stevens, a very competent fourth year student who will carry the torch of passing
on information from the Dean, the faculty,
staff and students of the School to our
alumni. I would ask, on her behalf, that
you send in your ideas of what you would
like The Purdue Pharmacist to be. Send
in information about yourself and/or your
classmates. And once again, may I beseach
you to help support the expense of putting
this paper out. All we ask for is $2.00 per
year. Your help would be very much appreciated indeed.
I would like to take this opportunity again
of thanking Dean Snyder for his annual
award to the editor. The award is a great
finale for all the extra time and effort the
editor spends to keep this informational
liaison between us published each year, but
I must admit that it has been a pleasure being your editor.
Debbie Seyferd
Editor