Dr. Philip P. Gerbino: A Pillar of the Community Retires

By Brian Kirschner

There is no argument that for the past 16-plus years, University of the Sciences has become synonymous with its ever present president. Now, the time has come for Dr. PHILIP P. GERBINO P’69, PharmD’70, who announced his retirement in May and will step aside at the end of August, to pass the baton to someone else. Student, teacher, administrator, dean, vice president, president, mentor, advisor…after 44 years, the list of titles and roles is endless. Dr. Gerbino’s impact and guiding hand have transformed the University without losing sight of its purpose to train, educate, and challenge future pharmacists, scientists, and healthcare professionals. The Bulletin had a chance to sit down with Dr. Gerbino to get his thoughts on the past 44 years. The following is an excerpt of that conversation.

To watch the entire video interview, visit www.youtube.com/usciences.

The Bulletin: Looking back, did you ever think you would spend 44 years here?  

Dr. Gerbino: Not on your life…It was a long trip from start to finish—because I stayed on and got a residency at the University of Pennsylvania hospital, and I thought I was just going to move on from there. But they asked if I could stay on to teach a little bit. I spent two additional years after my resi dency teaching and then I said, “Well, I think I’m going to move on a little bit.”…The next thing you know I had a visit in my office, by then president of Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Sciences. He came to my office and said, “We need you to come back.”… So about a year and a half later, I did come back, and I never left.

Thank you, Dr. Gerbino, for your leadership, dedication, spirit, and energy over all these years. You have been an inspiration to so many of us, and I, for one, am very grateful for the time we’ve spent together. I wish you every happiness in the days ahead! BRIAN SWIFT P’83, PharmD’85

The Bulletin: Has there been a guiding philosophy that’s helped you through the years?

Dr. Gerbino: I have had this asked of me a number of times over the last month or so since I announced my retirement. The first was the 10 two-letter words “If it is to be, it is up to me.” What that really means is that you are responsible and accountable for just about everything…The second was the issue of people…You’re always working with very impressive people…You need to be impressed with them, and the most important part about being impressed with them is never to be impressed with yourself…The third piece was about truth…One of the best things about education is that it teaches you about finding factual things. And the truth is what you choose to believe. Real truth is factual and real truth doesn’t have any agenda…And the last is a very long quote by Theodore Roosevelt. It’s the one that starts with “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better…”

You have done a fabulous job over the years. I was always proud to say that the president was in my graduating class. I wish you the best. SHEILA MORGENSTERN P’69

It goes on and on. I think it really talks about people who are really willing to roll up those sleeves, get in the arena, and battle it out. And you may win and you may lose, but at least you’ll never rest with those poor timid souls who knew not victory nor defeat… I was never afraid to roll up my sleeves.

The Bulletin: What do you feel have been some of your greatest accomplishments as president?  

Dr. Gerbino: Well, the greatest accomplishment always, the overriding accomplishment to all accomplishments, is following and watching the careers of our graduates and seeing them with successful lives, successful careers, and [as] really productive members of society in so many ways. That’s the crowning piece.

For me it was the transformations. We were a monolithic institution…but we weren’t moving to all the places that we should be. The marketplace was changing, the health-care landscape was changing, science was changing. Everything was moving, and we were staying the same. I didn’t think that was the right place for us to be. So the first change was really moving us to be a university.

The second was creating an environment that would support a university. We had to have a campus. We made sure that we acquired the land, did the right kind of building, and really built the infrastructure for a campus. Congratulations on your pending retirement…Your name has been an important part of the school for so long, it will be difficult to think about a PCP without Phil Gerbino!!” HANK KOZEK P’72 The third transformation really was building the kind of academic infrastructure to support a university. So whereas we were a couple of programs and really an iconic place in pharmacy, we ultimately were able to create and establish five separate colleges, which really gave us the opportunity to focus and look at the academic programs where we wanted to grow in each area. And the fourth transformation was a different kind of transformation. It was really leading the institution to developing a platform for future success during the worst of economic times. The Bulletin: Was there any doubt that PCPS would become a university? Dr. Gerbino: Not in my mind. I was always sensitive to what the alumni felt, what our students felt, what our faculty felt. And we listened to just about everybody on that issue. But instead of being emotional about it, we looked at it factually. [We] put all the facts together, looked at the marketplace, and said, “What if we don’t do this and the marketplace continues to move?” And I did not want this institution in jeopardy. I love it so…I’m glad we had the courage to make that happen.   The Bulletin: Do you have a favorite place on campus? Dr. Gerbino: I like all the places that are green. I like the entire campus. I like the quad; I like the way the ARC and the McNeil STC and Goodman and Wilson are structured around that whole area. There are not too many places on campus that I don’t like. It holds together very well. And more importantly, a campus isn’t just its buildings. It’s a You have created a lasting example of leadership that I call upon as I address my own professional challenges. Thank you for everything you have done for me, the University, and every University student who has walked the campus. ERIC M. BACHMAN C’08, MBA’09 campus as a community. And when I see how our community interacts with our faculty now in this environment and how the staff have become part of the entire fiber of the institution, then I know we have a community, and that’s what makes the campus work.

A Message from Marvin Samson, Chairman To the USciences Community and Friends of the University, On behalf of the University of the Sciences board of trustees, I want to thank Dr. Philip Gerbino for his incredible devotion and dedicated leadership over his many years as president, administrator, faculty member, student, and alumnus of USciences. The University has grown tremendously during his tenure as president, not only in terms of the student body and academic offerings, but in its physical footprint and its endowment. He has taken this institution from a college of pharmacy and science to a true university of the sciences. On September 1, I will be stepping in as transition leader when Phil leaves. I am very passionate about this University and totally dedicated to acting in that role. Our capable administrative cabinet will remain intact to assist me and will continue to handle the daily operations. We have already begun the process of identifying the next president of University of the Sciences through the establishment of a search committee to be chaired by alumna and trustee Dr. Kate Mayes. The goal of the search committee is not just to hire a president but to get the right person to secure the long-term future of this University. This is a university that has all the pieces— we are in the right place at the right time. We are well equipped and very well positioned for the future. We find ourselves poised for the next phase of our history and committed to continuing as a leading university doing what we do best: training the leaders, pharmacists, scientists, and healthcare professionals of the future. Again, join me in wishing Phil a fond farewell as president as we look forward to the future of USciences.

The Bulletin: If you could gather everybody in a room, all the alumni, students and faculty, what would you say to them?

Dr. Gerbino: You have a big job to do, to make sure that your alma mater is continually positioned for the challenges of tomorrow. And that’s everybody’s responsibility. And I think one of the messages that I would give to folks is that anytime you have an institution as treasured as this, all the stakeholders should be concerned about its future. And all should participate in its continued growth and development. I think a large part of our success here is that we built a community within our faculty, staff, and students that was one community. But we continue to embrace our alumni, our external stakeholders, a lot of new constituencies, and we continue to make them all work together… And one of the groups that I certainly don’t want to miss in all of that—because they are so integral in everything—is our board. The board is kind of the integrating force between the external community, the internal community, and all the market forces. And although they’re not on campus every day, they’re here four times a year. That integrating force is really crucial to how this organization mobilized itself…It isn’t just the University and its community, and the board—it’s things beyond that. The alumni, all the friends, all the folks that interact, the parents, that really make this work.

The Bulletin: What makes University of the Sciences special?

Honoring President Gerbino Dr. Philip P. Gerbino’s 16–plus–year presidency provokes nostalgia, presents challenge, and creates opportunity. Make a gift of any amount to any University initiative in honor of Dr. Gerbino. Please give now and note, “Dr. Gerbino,” in the comments section by visiting http://www.usciences.edu/giveonline. To make a gift by phone or request a list of initiatives, call 215.596.8777.

Dr. Gerbino: This is a special place because it is a deep community. It is a very, very deep community. It is proud of its heritage, it’s proud of its tradition, but it’s not encumbered by either of those. It is an institution that is very forward thinking. It has the blessing of very skilled employees here. It has the blessing of very, very talented students here. It has the gift of a dedicated staff. And they all seem to work together in a unified purpose. And that is to build the platform, provide the opportunities for the generations of tomorrow, and continue to feed the [depth] of this University. And I hope we’ll continue to do so for hundreds of years.

The Bulletin: Lastly, what is next for Dr. Gerbino?

Dr. Gerbino: Well, the world is full of challenges and opportunities.…As I look across those many, many opportunities, I assure you, I will look at the most challenging ones.

 

Send best wishes to Dr. Gerbino at http://www.usciences.edu/ ppgfarewell

 

Presidential Search Next Steps USciences is committed to finding the best possible presidential candidate to lead the University into the future. A presidential search committee, led by alumna and board member KATHLEEN MAYES P’76, PharmD’78 is being formed in accordance with the University By-Laws. The committee will consist of four members of the board of trustees, two members of the faculty, and one alumnus/a of the University who is neither a member nor a retired member of the board of trustees nor the faculty and selected by the board of directors of the Alumni Association. There will also be one corporate officer to serve as a nonvoting member of the search committee and one nonvoting student representative. For more information on the search committee’s progress, visit www.usciences.edu/presidentsearch for regular updates and more information.