»Welcome to the School of Pharmacy

The CUSP vision is to become a leader in innovative, inter-professional and personalized education of future pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, and pharmacy educators, while being recognized for excellence in collaborative, impactful research, scholarship, and practice models that advance global health.

The CUSP mission is to empower graduates and faculty to develop a deep science foundation, the drive for lifelong learning, and the compassion to optimize delivery of healthcare for those with diverse and unmet needs in Orange County (OC) and beyond through inter-professional practice models and community outreach. CUSP creates the culture and environment necessary to conduct collaborative basic, translational, clinical, education, and outcomes research that make a difference in people’s lives.

• Recruit, develop and retain high quality faculty and staff to achieve the schools mission.
• Identify, admit and further develop high quality, diverse, self-reflective and compassionate students.
• Develop and deliver an innovative personalized, inter-professional and integrated curriculum.
• Conduct collaborative scientific research that is focused on achievable goals that improve the human condition.
• Establish and cultivate a culture of community engagement and partnerships throughout the CUSP community.

• The local, national, and international community of individuals and industries that improve life,
• Entrepreneurial approaches to problem solving and the persistent pursuit of our goals,
• The diversity of individuals around us and the richness our differences bring to the quality of our lives,
• Innovation and creativity in personalized education where each individual takes responsibility for his or her learning,
• Active, continuous, and cumulative assessment of knowledge and the gaps experienced by individuals so that they are recognized and addressed,
• Professionalism, mutual respect, shared learning and a life-long commitment to pursue change that improves human health.

• Personalized education, e.g., small class sizes, low student‐to‐faculty ratio
• Learner‐centered approach that includes team‐based learning and active learning
• Interdisciplinary education from the start, community involvement, global Citizen perspectives
• Active learning, including labs and didactic with supportive classrooms/technology
• Continuous, comprehensive and cumulative assessment through multiple means (e.g., oral and written testing, knowledge application simulations, interview, observation of presentations and participation)
• Structured learning and practice experience with other health profession students, such as PA, PT, and Nursing
• Enrollment starting at 60 entering students in 2015 and growing to a maximum of 100 entering students per year in 2017 and thereafter
• Broad experiential learning partnerships in Pharmacy Clinical Practice and with local biopharmaceutical and medical device industry partnerships
• Student study focus areas of research, regulatory affairs, continuous quality improvement

CUSP Founding Leadership Team hired by July‐2013
WASC Accreditation application Aug‐2013 
WASC Approval Dec‐2013 (WASC approval received Oct-2013)
Draft ACPE Pre-Candidate Application Jan‐2014
ACPE Staff visit March-2014
Final ACPE Pre‐Candidate Application April-2014
ACPE Board Pre-Candidate Application Consideration June 2014
September 2015, First Professional Program Students matriculate ….. First Graduates May‐2018 & Full Accreditation received. Model: (0‐5, or 2‐3)