Pfizer Employees Receive New Ferris Certificate

Last August a group of students employed as chemical technicians at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals (formerly Parke-Davis) in Holland, received Pharmaceutical Chemistry certificates form Ferris, the first such certificate granted through the Division of Arts & Sciences.

The educational experience was the brainchild of Pfizer's Dr. Roger Brummel, vice president of Chemical Operations, and Dr. Marvin Hoekstra, in consultation with Nick Coso, FSU's former Dean of Continuing Education, and Bill Killian, professor of Chemistry and director of the Industrial Chemistry Technology program. They felt that members of the Pfizer technical staff would benefit from augmenting their understanding of various areas of chemistry, such as general chemistry, quantitative, instrumental, organic chemistry, and biochemistry, and so proposed a set of courses for the certificate program taken from those already available to Ferris' ICT students.

At Pfizer's request, it was decided that the preferred mode of distance education would not be via interactive TV or Web-based in any manner, but would simply involve face-to-face teaching. "That group of students was as serious and committed about their coursework and their advancement as I've seen in my teaching career," said Killian.

Congratulations are extended to the newest Ferris alumni, Guillermo Flores, Randy Geurink and Rick Kamerman. A number of technicians are currently "in the pipeline." In appreciation for Ferris' efforts, Pfizer has contributed financially to ICT for several years. In further demonstration of their close relationship to the University, a Ferris flag-raising ceremony is being planned for the near future at the main lobby of the Pfizer plant.

Discussions are underway for establishing similar certificate programs at other chemical companies in the Midwest.