Where are they now?
Jennifer Schoelles, Pharm.D.
Current Residency: Germantown, Tennessee | Current Position: Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy
YEARS AT UF:
2002-2014
ROLE AT UF COLLEGE OF PHARMACY:
Assistant Dean and Founding Director of the St. Petersburg campus
Jennifer Schoelles, Pharm.D., ’96, may have moved to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy in 2014, but the orange and blue will always have a place close to her heart. Inside her UTHSC office are mementos from her 12 years leading the St. Petersburg campus in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy — including a photo of the first St. Pete graduating class, a framed copy of the 2003 GATORx magazine featuring the distance campus leaders and a student-made scrapbook from a short study abroad trip to Italy and Malta.
The Madison, Florida native cherishes her time spent at UF and the opportunity to serve as the first assistant dean and founding director for the St. Pete campus. Schoelles fondly recalls the many student events held at Gator’s Café at John’s Pass, where Gators’ paraphernalia from floor to ceiling made the venue feel like Gainesville on the beach. The laid-back atmosphere offered a great opportunity for faculty to socialize with students and their families away from campus.
“It was rewarding building relationships with students and watching them adapt to learning in a different way,” Schoelles said. “Our distance campuses in St. Petersburg, Jacksonville and Orlando were unique for pharmacy education. The students in the early years of those campuses paved the way for programs across the country to reconsider how they deliver their curriculum and what options may exist.”
Schoelles now makes her home in Germantown, Tennessee and serves as the associate dean for student affairs at the UTHSC College of Pharmacy. She leads a team of seven who manage recruitment and admissions as well as student services at three campuses in Tennessee. With an enrollment near 600, the student affairs position offers her an opportunity to support a large cohort of future pharmacists.
Away from work, Schoelles enjoys traveling with her fiancée, David, and spending time with her two sons who have made their home in Tennessee. Her oldest, Matthew, works as a loadmaster with the Tennessee Air National Guard and graduated from the University of Memphis in December. He lives outside of Memphis with his wife, Haleigh. Her youngest son, Carter, just completed his freshman year at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. While Schoelles has embraced living in the Volunteer State, she is forever grateful for the opportunity to have served her alma mater.
“I’m very proud of where I went to school and what I accomplished as a faculty member at UF,” Schoelles said. “There have been things I have learned about myself in every faculty position. When I look back, I experienced the most professional growth at UF, and it was such a rewarding experience to lead the St. Pete campus.”
