News release (May 14, 2010)

Note: Manchester changed its name to Manchester University and the College of Pharmacy on July 1, 2012.

Manchester College finds experience in its founding dean

for School of Pharmacy [BACK TO NEWS INDEX]

Manchester College’s new School of Pharmacy welcomes a nationally-respected leader, Philip J. Medon, as its founding dean, said President Jo Young Switzer in announcing his appointment.

“He’s a builder. He’s a starter who has experience most recently as the founding dean of the highly successful School of Pharmacy of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville,” said Switzer.

Medon joined the president's cabinet as vice president and dean of the School of Pharmacy on July 1. He also will serve as a professor of pharmacy and toxicology, but his immediate focus is to hire a leadership team and faculty and begin the pre-accreditation process.

Manchester intends to enroll its first students in the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program in fall 2012. The school is the College’s first doctoral program and will be located in Fort Wayne.

“Dr. Medon is respected nationally for his ability to recruit strong faculty members who create an engaging academic environment for students,” said Switzer. “Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (SIUE) has moved into national stature in its early years of existence, and Phil Medon has been at the helm of that success.”

Medon, with nearly 35 years of academic pharmacy experience, said he will use his national contacts to attract an experienced and talented leadership team and a strong faculty dedicated to student success. Medon will lead the development of a strong experiential education program that will take advantage of the many practicum opportunities in northeast Indiana.

Manchester expects to enroll 265 students in the four-year doctoral program that requires two years of pre-pharmacy undergraduate studies. Graduates of the program will complete one full year of experiential placements during their fourth year of professional study.

Medon will continue the College’s efforts to build partnerships with a wide range of health-related agencies in Fort Wayne.

With graduate degrees from Purdue University, Medon has held faculty and administrative positions at SIUE, University of Louisiana at Monroe, University of Illinois-Chicago and University of New Mexico. His publications are extensive, with an early focus on toxicology and more recently on pharmacy education. He and his wife, Chris, have two grown daughters.

For more about Manchester's School of Pharmacy, visit pharmacy.manchester.edu. To connect with Dean Phil Medon: pjmedon@manchester.edu or 260-470-2700.