MONROE, LA – The University of Louisiana Monroe’s College of Pharmacy (COP) received $2 million in supplemental funding from the state legislature during the 2025 regular legislative session.
A supplemental appropriations bill (HB 460) included the funding, which was signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry on June 23, 2025. The supplemental funding will go toward the operations of the COP.
“We are so grateful for the investment the state has made in our College of Pharmacy, which has graduated pharmacists for nearly 70 years,” said Dr. Glenn Anderson, Dean of the ULM College of Pharmacy. “The cost of running a pharmacy education program is high, and we cannot understate the importance of funding such as this to ensure that we have efficient means of operating our programs at the very highest level.”
ULM’s COP is Louisiana’s College of Pharmacy – the only publicly supported center for pharmacy education and research in the state. The College is bustling today with students, faculty, research, and service activities, and has shaped the careers and lives of many students.
Nick LeBas, a third-generation pharmacist who owns Evangeline Drug Store in Ville Platte, La., is one example of how ULM’s COP led to success in the workforce.
“Me, my wife Nicole, along with my father, brother, and sister all chose pharmacy as our profession,” said LeBas. “We could not have accomplished all that we have, served all the people we have, without the educational support of ULM. The College of Pharmacy, in particular, has a special place in our shared family profession.”
ULM President Dr. Carrie L. Castille expressed her gratitude to the legislature for the funding.
“Our business enterprise is all about the educational outcomes of our students and meeting the workforce needs of our region and state,” said Castille. “This funding allows us to invest directly in our College of Pharmacy so that we can continue to produce the finest pharmacists as well as bolster our cutting-edge research in the areas of pharmaceutical and toxicological sciences. We appreciate the legislature for recognizing the importance of our pharmacy education.”