Multicultural Pharmacy Scholars Program

To be eligible to participate, a student must:

• Be admitted into the School of Pharmacy
• Be a U.S. citizen or have been granted U.S. Permanent Resident status
• Be an academically well-prepared student from an under-represented background in the School of Pharmacy (including African-Americans, Latino/a, and Indigenous students) who may be first generation college attendees and have financial need as defined by Pell Grant eligibility

Renewable scholarships typically range from $500 to $1,000 per semester, based on academic performance, student participation, financial need, and available funding.

MPSP scholars attend individual monthly advising meetings with the MPSP faculty director and receive peer mentoring from upper level students. Students also attend semester group leadership and/or professional meetings during the semester.

Academic tutoring is available for all MPSP members.

The University Multicultural Scholars Program hosts several events each semester that scholars from each of the undergraduate programs across campus attend.

Students have opportunities to get involved in the KU and local community, including networking opportunities with other students, faculty, and professional pharmacy practitioners. Support for study abroad and professional meetings is also available.

MPSP scholars are expected to attend all pharmacy classes and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5. They must attend and participate in all advising/mentoring meetings and MPSP events. It is also the responsibility of each student to serve as a mentor to the P1, P2, and P3 students, if needed.

KU School of Pharmacy’s Multicultural Pharmacy Scholars Program (MPSP) prepares future generations of multicultural leaders to address important health problems. The goal of the program is to assist and prepare students to receive maximum benefit from the pharmacy program.

Eligibility

MPSP students must:

• be admitted into the KU School of Pharmacy.
• be a U.S. citizen or have been granted U.S. permanent resident status.
• be academically well‐prepared and from a background that is underrepresented in the School of Pharmacy (including African‐American, Latino/a, and Indigenous students) who may be first-generation college students and have financial need as defined by Pell Grant eligibility.

Additional Program Information

• MPSP program director serves as the primary contact and student advisor.
• Students receive peer support from a community of students.
• MPSP funds students to attend cultural events and professional activities to further their development as leaders.
• Students are eligible to receive renewable academic scholarships.

Program Requirements

• Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5.
• Students are required to attend a number of specified activities/events.

How to Apply

Complete and submit the application and application essay.

Essay Instructions

The application essay (maximum of three double‐spaced pages) is in three parts:

PART I: Describe how being a member of one or more of the groups represented by the Multicultural Pharmacy Scholars Program has influenced who you are and helped shape your life goals. Who has influenced you the most in your life and how? Why is a pharmacy education important to you? What barriers or challenges have you had to overcome to access a college education and be admitted into the pharmacy program? What have you learned from these experiences that you might contribute to the pharmacy profession?

PART II: The MPSP provides faculty mentoring and peer support, along with exposure to cultural experiences. What areas of your development as a student might benefit from the MPSP Program? What specific issues do you wrestle with that you might work on if you were selected as a scholar?

Part III: Your Goal. In one sentence, state your goal as a pharmacy student. For example, “I will learn to make a difference in ____________ (your interests) through _________ (your plans for learning and contributing).” MPSP Application 2015 Multicultural Pharmacy Scholars Program University of Kansas School of Pharmacy Preparing future generations of multicultural leaders to address important health problems.

For questions about the KU Multiculural Pharmacy Scholars Program, please contact:

Dennis Grauer
Multicultural Pharmacy Scholars Program Director
dgrauer@ku.edu
785-864-3262

Interested students are also encouraged to read additional information on the KU Multicultural Scholars Program website.