Presbyterian College awarded $275,000 gift for School of Pharmacy

August 31, 2009

CLINTON – The J M Smith Foundation of Spartanburg has donated $275,000 to the Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy.

Associated with the J M Smith Corporation, the philanthropic foundation has provided $250,000 in funding towards the pharmacy school, while also establishing the J M Smith Scholarship Fund with a $25,000 gift. The scholarship will be awarded to PC pharmacy students with first preference given to students with entrepreneurial ambition in pharmaceuticals, second preference to pharmacy legacy students, and third to students who demonstrate financial need.

“PC has always been noted for its quality education,” said Ken Couch, president of the J M Smith Foundation. “By adding the faculty and staff to its new School of Pharmacy, they will continue that fine tradition on behalf of the pharmacists in South Carolina.”

The J M Smith Corporation developed out of the vision of one family and the hard work and dedication of many others. In 1925, James M. Smith Sr. opened a small pharmacy in Asheville, N.C. Over the next two decades, Smith established 16 other pharmacies throughout the Carolinas and Georgia. In the 1940’s Smith sold his interest in all the stores to establish Smith Drug Company in Spartanburg. Smith’s son, James M. Smith, Jr. (Jim) led the company’s expansion into data processing and computer services. His interest in the health care business along with his extensive knowledge of computers, laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most successful privately held corporations in South Carolina. Today, J M Smith Corporation is comprised of four separate companies – Smith Drug Company, Integral Solutions Group, QS/1 Data Systems, and Smith Premier Services.

Smith Drug Company provides purchasing and distribution services for independent pharmacies, while QS/1 develops computer systems for medical equipment providers, institutional pharmacies, and related businesses. Smith Premier Service offers prescription benefit management services for employers and insurance carriers. Integral Solutions serves local government agencies providing hardware, software, forms and offering data processing services.

Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA, PC has been recognized as a character-building college by the John Templeton Foundation and is classified as a national liberal arts institution with selective admissions by the Carnegie Foundation. In 2010, the college will open its new School of Pharmacy to approximately 80 incoming post-graduate students.

posted by Hal Milam
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