WesternU President Emeritus to receive Upland honor

The Upland City Council will honor Western University of Health Sciences President Emeritus Philip Pumerantz, PhD, for his 38 years of service to the community.

The council will present Dr. Pumerantz, an Upland resident, with a plaque at its meeting Monday, Sept. 28, 2015 at Upland City Hall, 460 N. Euclid Ave. Upland, Calif. 91786.

Dr. Pumerantz retired Sept. 8, 2015 after serving as WesternU’s president since its founding in 1977 as the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP). WesternU has grown from 36 students in its first class in October 1978 to more than 3,900 enrolled, and more than 12,500 alumni. More than 1,100 people work at WesternU, making it the fourth-largest employer in the Pomona Valley.

Upland Mayor Ray Musser, who moved to Upland in 1957, said he used to shop in downtown Pomona where WesternU now stands.

“I was thrilled to see one individual make a tremendous difference in one particular city, Pomona,” Musser said. “It’s phenomenal what he’s done.”

The Upland Animal Shelter is one of the WesternU College of Veterinary Medicine’s clinical rotation sites for third-year students.

“WesternU serves more than Pomona,” Musser said. “Thanks to Dr. Pumerantz, WesternU graduates have gone out to serve the world.”