Mississippi to Gain Second Pharmacy School

A Fortune 1000 company and a family foundation have announced major pledges for a pharmacy school at William Carey University, which will make it the second university in Mississippi to have a pharmacy school.

Sanderson Farms CEO Joe Sanderson Jr. and his wife, Kathy, are donating $1 million—the biggest gift from an individual in William Carey history—for the new school, according to WLOX.

“No one loves Mississippi more than Joe and Kathy Sanderson,” William Carey President Tommy King told WLOX. “The Sanderson family has a long history of supporting worthy causes in our state. William Carey is deeply grateful for this very significant gift.”

The Leo W. Seal Family Foundation will also provide $125,000 over a 5-year period, and William Carey has received $50,000 of it already.

At a formal gift presentation at the university on January 12, 2015, a foundation board member expressed enthusiasm about the project.

“We are very, very excited to be able to participate in such an amazing project not only for the students on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, but also for the growth and development of our region,” Clay Wagner said, according to a university press release.

The Associated Press reported that Mississippi will see a shortage of more than 400 pharmacists over the next 2 years.

William Carey expects to accept around 60 students per year.