SOP Hosts Evening Reception for Scholarship Donors and Recipients

Event brings together some of the School’s most dedicated donors and the students who have benefitted from their generosity.

By Malissa Carroll
February 17, 2017

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy held its first reception for scholarship donors and recipients on Jan. 19. Hosted by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, the reception provided a forum for scholarship donors to meet the students who have benefitted from their gifts and offered students an opportunity to express their gratitude to the donors.

“It is an honor to bring together some of our School’s most dedicated supporters and top students to show our appreciation for the continued commitment demonstrated by our scholarship donors to help ensure the success of our students,” said Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FCP, FAAPS, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy, who welcomed attendees to the event. “The scholarships to which you have contributed help the School attract students with high academic promise and alleviate some of the financial burden that our students often shoulder. Scholarships are a critical component of recruiting a diverse student population, and remain a philanthropic priority for the School.”

Ninety-seven percent of eligible students qualify to receive financial aid or scholarship assistance at the School of Pharmacy, which offers more than 90 scholarships for students in its Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and other graduate programs. One of the most recent scholarship endowments received by the School comes from Ellen H. Yankellow, PharmD ’96, BSP ’73, President and Chief Executive Officer of Correct Rx Pharmacy Services and a member of the School’s Board of Visitors, who attended the evening reception. “As a leader in the field of institutional pharmacy services, I feel a great responsibility to help support the industry. One of the ways that I demonstrate my commitment is through my ongoing support of the School of Pharmacy,” she says.

During the reception, Yankellow had an opportunity to meet Laura Murphy, MT, MPH, manager of pharmacovigilance at C.B. Fleet Company in Lynchburg, Va. Murphy is the first graduate student to benefit from her scholarship.

“It was a real honor to commit the School’s first fully-endowed scholarship in 2016,” says Yankellow. “The scholarship reception was my first opportunity to meet and talk with current students who might be able to benefit from both the fellowship and scholarship that I have established at the School. It was especially meaningful to meet my scholar, Laura Murphy. She’s a lovely young woman who has already accomplished a great deal and is now able to broaden her formal education in the area of regulatory science.”

“I am incredibly appreciative of Dr. Yankellow and the generosity that she has demonstrated to the School of Pharmacy,” adds Murphy, who is currently enrolled in the School’s MS in Regulatory Science program. “As a working professional, I have long believed in the value of continuous growth and development. The scholarship that I was awarded has allowed me to focus on my academic goals and personal growth without worrying about my finances. The lessons that I’m learning in the MS in Regulatory Science program will not only help advance my career, but also better equip me to aid in the professional development of my colleagues.”

Also in attendance at the reception was Jill Molofsky, BSP ’81, vice president and co-owner of Correct Rx Pharmacy Services, who established the Jill Molofsky Student Leadership Endowment at the School.

“The education that I received from the School of Pharmacy not only helped me launch my career, but truly transformed me into the professional that I am today,” she says. “I believe it is crucial that I pay forward the success that I have experienced to help ensure that the next generation of pharmacists has the knowledge and tools necessary to continue advancing the pharmacy profession for years to come. Attending the scholarship reception gave me the opportunity to meet face-to-face with some of the talented students who have benefitted from my support. They are incredibly bright individuals, and I left the event knowing that the future of our profession is in great hands.”

In addition to providing the School with the chance to thank its donors for their generous contributions, the reception highlighted the strength of the School’s alumni donor community, instilling within current students the importance of giving back to the individuals and organizations that have supported them. “While speaking with fellow alumni during the reception, I was thrilled to see how many of them share my fervent hope that those students who are provided a full year of tuition assistance will be able to focus less on managing finances and more on their personal academic goals and professional development,” says Yankellow.

For information about how you can establish or support scholarships at the School of Pharmacy, please contact Ken Boyden, JD, EdD, associate dean for the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, at (410) 706-3816 or kboyden@rx.umaryland.edu.

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