WesternU College of Pharmacy fraternity chapter, advisor win national awards
Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy’s Epsilon Gamma Chapter of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity has won the Professional Fraternity Association’s (PFA) Outstanding Professional Program Award for 2011.
This award recognizes a PFA member fraternity for the administration of a meritorious professional program or project. The program or project may be fraternity-wide or individual chapter focused.
College of Pharmacy Associate Professor Eric Gupta, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FCPhA, received the PFA Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award. He serves as Grand Counselor of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity and Grand Council Deputy (Chapter Advisor) of Epsilon Gamma. This award honors an individual member of a PFA member group deserving of recognition for exceptional service or extraordinary commitment to the fraternity or community during the preceding year.
"This is like a grand slam home run in the seventh game of the World Series,” said College of Pharmacy Dean Daniel Robinson, PharmD. “The Professional Fraternity Association represents more than 100,000 undergraduate and graduate students across the nation on more than 1,000 campuses. It is hard to describe the odds of our WesternU chapter of Kappa Psi and Dr. Eric Gupta both receiving top honors among the nation’s fraternities. It just doesn’t get any better.”
Dr. Gupta said he was humbled and honored by the award.
“To be selected as the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year from not only all the members in Kappa Psi, but out of all the members in 36 fraternities, is incomprehensible,” he said. “I would not have been able to accomplish so many goals in professional organizations without the support from Dean Robinson; my department chair, Dr. Anandi Law; Dr. Patrick Chan, my colleague and fraternity brother, who nominated me; and my WesternU family.”
Kappa Psi is proud of these fraternity brothers’ outstanding accomplishments and holds the two most recent Award winners up as examples of the spirit of giving that exists in Kappa Psi, according to a Kappa Psi news release. Kappa Psi is the oldest and largest pharmacy fraternity in the world. Its headquarters are Richardson, Texas.
“Although I am overjoyed for my personal accomplishment, I am even more proud of the Epsilon Gamma Chapter at WesternU for its accomplishment,” Dr. Gupta said. “To be recognized as a chapter at such a high level is truly astonishing when you stop to think that they are only a four-year-old chapter. The big hearts that all of them have to serve the Pomona community really shone through over the last few years, and it is exciting to see them rewarded for their efforts. It is a testament to the quality individuals that make up the student body at WesternU.”
