Preparing practitioners: FAMU pharmacy school celebrates 10 years at Crestview campus

CRESTVIEW — Many people who stood on the steps of the Durell Peaden Jr. Rural Pharmacy Education Campus – once an old textile factory – at its conception gathered again last week to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

The ceremony featured state and local leaders who played a role in the historic building's transformation into an academic institution in downtown Crestview. They were joined by alumni who walked the halls of the college and left as licensed pharmacists.

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The campus first opened its doors to learners in August 2012. Today, it is the only college of pharmacy in Florida west of Tallahassee.

Its existence has made it possible for people in Northwest Florida to obtain a Doctor of Pharmacy degree without traveling too far from home.

“It’s given the students of Crestview and Pensacola and Fort Walton, all along the coast, an opportunity to become a health care professional,” said Dr. Henry Lewis III, the former dean of the Florida A&M University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Transforming a historic building

Until 2010, the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was owned by the city of Crestview. Built in the late 1930s, it operated as the Alatex Textiles Garment Factory and had a significant impact on the city during the post-Depression era.

“It is the only example of historical industrial architecture in Okaloosa County,” said Crestview Mayor J.B. Whitten. “It provided the first significant large-scale opportunity for employment in Crestview and assisted the local economy in pulling out of the post-Depression era.”

In the 1980s, Rainbow Apparel Manufacturing operated out of the building. The company provided clothing for military service members and made other contributions to the military in the years of preparation for and during World War II.

However, the building had become rundown in the years following. The college’s namesake, Florida Sen. Durell Peaden Jr., who grew up in Crestview, saw it as an opportunity to expand educational programs in Northwest Florida.

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“When I saw it, the windows were shot out and messed up and the whole nine yards,” said Lewis, who recalled Peaden’s vision. ”He said, ‘I want to change that building and create a health center here in Crestview.’ He wanted a pharmacy to come and other programs to come as well.”

Peaden was a member of the Florida Legislature from 2002 to 2010. He worked with Florida A&M University, former Crestview Mayor David Cadle and other city leaders to obtain the resources to establish the college.

In the summer of 2010, the Florida Legislature budgeted for the restoration under a project titled “Rural Diversity Healthcare Center - Crestview.” The college was named after Peaden in 2016 to honor his efforts to bring the academic institution to Crestview.

Although Peaden died in 2015, Margareth Larose-Pierre, director of FAMU’s Peaden Campus, said he was there to see his vision come to fruition.

“He was proud. He was beaming 10 years ago,” she said. “Today, we are proud of what our students have accomplished. His work is not done here. He’s asking us to continue the legacy that he has started.”

Students achieve academic success

Students enrolled at the Peaden Campus range from their first professional year through their fourth professional year.

The maximum class size is about 30 people. Although nearly 150 miles away from the main FAMU campus in Tallahassee, students still receive the same benefits.

“They still benefit from tutoring, advising, scholarships, grants and loans afforded to every learner that attends the main campus,” Whitten said.

The primary mode of instruction and interaction with professors is via video conferencing. Distance-learning technology allows them to receive instruction with main campus learners in real-time.

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They also use their skills to serve the Crestview community. The campus provides free screenings for hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and HIV, as well as various vaccinations, in collaboration with local pharmacies and health care professionals.

“What we do here matters to the health of this community and its people. What we do here is prepare those practitioners in a rural setting, and the intent is that they stay in this area doing that good work,” said FAMU College of Pharmacy Dean Johnnie Early.

FAMU President Larry Robinson said the success of graduates can be seen in their scores on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination, which they have to pass in order to practice pharmacy.

In 2020, Peaden Campus graduates scored a 94.12% pass rate on the NAPLEX exam, which was eight points above the national average of 86%. In 2021, graduates again scored nine points above the national average.

“It was a strong showing of strength and resilience of the young men and women in this program because at that time we were all struggling with COVID-19,” Robinson said. “The students from this program are surely transforming the communities in which they go and serve.”

The ceremony concluded Wednesday with the unveiling of a historical marker commemorating the building’s impact on the city as the Alatex Textiles Garment Factory.

After 10 years as a staple to academic achievement in Crestview, officials are now looking to the future. State Rep. Patt Maney said there are plans to create more housing for students, as well as scholarships to help more people attend the school.

“Your delegation for Northwest Florida is strongly behind this school and we’re going to work to make Dr. Peaden’s school not only a success, but a bigger success particularly for our young people,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: FAMU Crestview pharmacy school celebrates 10th anniversary