In late 2012, The University of Texas at Tyler sought to establish a College of Pharmacy. At that time, the Commissioner of Higher Education stated no additional Colleges of Pharmacy would be approved in the State of Texas. However, business, hospital, and community leaders across East Texas expressed a great need for more pharmacists. UT Tyler reached out to future CWJ Partner, Laura Jackson, who developed a strategy to go directly to the Texas Legislature to create the College of Pharmacy in statute. She led the efforts to navigate the bill through the legislative process, overcoming several serious roadblocks, and secured passage in a single legislative session.
