New Jersey College of Pharmacy

According to Dr. Philemon E. Hommell, the proprietor of Hommell Pharmacy in Jersey City, his idea to found a college of pharmacy in New Jersey began in a discussion with A ugust Drescher, on Market Street in Newark. Hommell and Drescher, a Newark pharmacist, drew up articles of agreement on August 29, 1892. After obtaining the signatures of several of their colleagues, they held an organizing meeting in a hall on Market Street on September 5, 1892. On October 2, 1892, the group circulated a letter among all the pharmacists in New Jersey, which invited "all competent druggists" to join "an association to be known as the New Jersey College of Pharmacy."

The new school opened its doors on December 1, 1892, in three rented rooms of an office building at 22 Clinton Street in Newark. Lectures were given in various subjects, including Botany, Materia Medica, Vegetable Histology, and Bacteriology. The faculty were largely practicing physicians and pharmacists, including Dr. Hommell and Mr. Drescher.

In 1899 the College moved to larger quarters at 224 Market Street in Newark. A committee was appointed in August, 1904 to look into funding its own building. The committee purchased a lot on High Street for $4,500 and started a building-fund campaign in 1905. By the following year, the College had $1,657 from the fund and $19,000 in loans. Construction began on a two-story brick building, which included an amphitheater lecture room, laboratories, and a herbarium. The College moved into the new building January 3, 1907.

In 1918 the New Jersey legislature passed the so-called prerequisite law, by which a degree from a recognized college of pharmacy would be required for examination and licensing. The New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy had been increasingly reluctant to continue recognizing the College. Even the New York State Board had refused to accredit them, citing an inadequate library and an insufficient number of lecture hours. When Robert P. Fischelis took over as dean in 1921, his first priority was to obtain accreditation for the school. At the time, enrollment at the New York and Philadelphia Schools of Pharmacy had increased and they were turning students away. If the New Jersey College of Pharmacy were accredited, these students could be accommodated.

Fischelis decided to pursue national accreditation. Accreditation by the American Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties required at least three full-time faculty members, and a curriculum that conformed with the national "Pharmaceutical Syllabus." Fischelis complied and the school achieved accreditation in 1923.

Under Fischelis' tenure, student life at the College had greatly improved. In 1923 an all-student organization called "The Pharmaceutical Society" was formed. Pharmaceutical fraternities were introduced, a yearbook was started, and an annual dinner dance was i naugurated.

By the 1920s, the student body had outgrown the brick building on High Street. On August 29, 1923, a site was selected for a new building in the north section of Newark at 1 Lincoln Avenue. An architect was appointed and plans were approved for a new three-story building. However, an apparent shortage of funds forced the Trustees to eliminate an entire wing from the new building. Fischelis was extremely unhappy with the revised plans, calling the building "totally inadequate." Fischelis, along with several professors, resigned on July 1, 1925. He was briefly replaced by Dr. Caswell A. Mayo, a former president of the American Pharmaceutical Association.

Dr. Ernest Little, a faculty member since 1918, was appointed acting dean in 1926 by the trustees of the College of Pharmacy. In his first year as dean, Little expanded and renovated physical facilities, built up the faculty, and started a research department. Dean Little successfully persuaded Dr. Lloyd K. Riggs to leave E.R. Squibb and Sons to head the new research program. Under Little's guidance, the College's program and image improved. As a result, the Rutgers University Board of Trustees agreed to incorporate the College as a College of Pharmacy in the State University of New Jersey on January 15, 1927. The ceremony took place on May 25, 1927, at a gala dinner.

Dr. Little presided over the College as dean for nineteen more years. During this time he expanded the college's two-year program to four years, adding professional courses and introducing liberal arts courses, in order to meet new requirements for accreditation.

There was a sharp decline in student enrollment after the four-year program was instituted in 1932. The resulting decrease in funds from student tuition put a severe financial strain on the College. Dean Little successfully persuaded the state government to include the College of Pharmacy in the University's appropriation.