The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo College of Pharmacy has been named the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy in honor of the late U.S. senator after a vote today by the UH Board of Regents .
“Building a high-quality college of pharmacy on Hawai‘i island was part of Senator Inouye’s vision to encourage better health care throughout the Pacific region and throughout the neighbor islands of Hawai‘i,” UH Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney said. “His vision was that each neighbor island would harbor a center of excellence, that every island should have its own specialty. The specialty for Hawai‘i island envisioned by Senator Inouye was our own College of Pharmacy.”
In 2000, Inouye was 76 years old and had been Hawai‘i’s U.S. senator for 37 years when he provided funding of under $1 million to UH Hilo to begin the quest for a college of pharmacy. Since that time, the College of Pharmacy has met or exceeded all of Inouye’s expectations, said John Pezzuto, founding dean of the college.
“Every project, every class, every life that’s touched by our students, faculty and staff demonstrates how the College of Pharmacy helps to fulfill Senator Inouye’s vision to improve health care in Hawai‘i,” Pezzuto said. “By naming our college after him, we ensure that his vision lives on in our work. We are very humbled and honored.”
~Adpated from UH Hilo press release