CAMP HILL, Pa., /PRNewswire/ -- In a move to encourage more African-American college students to become retail pharmacists, the Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD; PSE: RAD) has established a scholarship program with the United Negro College Fund. The new Rite Aid/UNCF Retail Pharmacy Scholars Program will offer $100,000, over a four-year period, to qualified students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The first scholarships will be awarded in the fall of 1999. "Rite Aid's goal in supporting the UNCF is to continue to create opportunities for our nation's young people," said Martin Grass, chairman and chief executive officer. "We hope our gift will inspire more young African-American men and women to pursue careers in retail pharmacy."
The new retail pharmacy scholarship program is the first of its kind underwritten by a major corporation and designed to encourage more African-American young people to consider retail pharmacy as a career choice. The scholarship is also a tangible example of Rite Aid's commitment to achieving diversity in its workforce. Besides bringing more African-Americans into retail pharmacy, Rite Aid also hopes the scholarship program will ensure a continuous stream of qualified, entry-level pharmacists for its stores.
"We seek the best and brightest pharmacy graduates from all the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Supporting HBCUs is part of Rite Aid's goal of improving educational opportunities for all aspiring pharmacists," said Michele Belsey, director of college and professional recruitment. To qualify, students must be entering their sophomore year in an HBCU undergraduate pre-pharmacy program or enrolled in an HBCU school of pharmacy with retail pharmacy designated as their specialized area of study. Students must also demonstrate financial need, maintain a minimum 2.8 grade point average and have excellent communication skills. Students who are attending a school of pharmacy or are enrolled in a pre-pharmacy program in Rite Aid drugstore service areas and want to work in a Rite Aid pharmacy during the scholarship term will receive preference. Several students will each receive an annual scholarship of up to $2,500. The scholarships will be administered by the UNCF. Xavier University, Howard University, Florida A&M University, Morehouse College and Cheyney University are just a few of the HBCUs where the scholarship will be offered. Scholarship applications will be available in mid-February through the financial aid offices of HBCUs with pharmacy schools and pre-pharmacy undergraduate programs.
Completed applications are due at the UNCF by April 30, 1999. More information about the scholarship may be obtained from the Rite Aid and UNCF web sites. UNCF is the nation's oldest and most successful African-American higher education assistance organization. It is a consortium of 39 private, accredited four-year historically black colleges and universities. More than 300,000 educated men and women have worked to strengthen their communities thanks to the support they received from the United Negro College Fund. Rite Aid is one of the nation's largest drugstore chains with annual revenues of more than $12 billion and approximately 3,800 stores in 30 states and the District of Columbia.
The Camp Hill-based company fills over 225 million prescriptions each year accounting for more than $6 billion in drug expenditures and is the leading drugstore chain in several regions, including the mid-Atlantic and the Pacific coast, and in five of the nation's nine most populous states (CA, NY, PA, MI, NJ). Last year, it was recognized in Business Week's list of the 50 top performing and named by Fortune magazine as one of "America's Most Admired Companies." General information about Rite Aid, including the annual report, corporate background and press releases, is available through the company's web site at www.RITEAID.com
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