An outpouring of generosity from alumni and friends of the College of Pharmacy helped to make this year’s Crisafi Challenge another huge success. More than 140 donors contributed $35,000 during the 10-day challenge from Oct. 5-14. With Bob Crisafi’s pledge to match $20,000, a total of $55,000 was raised for student scholarships to recruit the best and brightest pharmacy students to UF.
“We are overwhelmingly grateful for all the gifts given during this year’s Crisafi Challenge and thankful for the many supporters who rose to the challenge to help us far exceed our challenge goal,” said Julie Johnson, Pharm.D., dean and distinguished professor at the College of Pharmacy. “As we saw with the first year of the Crisafi Challenge, these scholarships have a tremendous impact in attracting some of the best pharmacy students in Florida, and the nation, to UF.”
In its second year, the Crisafi Challenge was established by Bob Crisafi, Ph.D., a 1956 graduate of the College of Pharmacy. As a pharmacy student at UF in the 1950s, he was given a scholarship which had an extraordinary effect on his education and future. He never forgot the generosity extended to him by the UF College of Pharmacy. He and his wife, Barbara, were motivated to give back and created the Crisafi Challenge to give scholarships to deserving pharmacy students that want to pursue their dreams at the UF College of Pharmacy.
The inaugural year of the challenge in 2015 saw the College of Pharmacy raise $32,500, including a $10,000 match from Bob Crisafi. All the money raised were given as scholarships to eight incoming pharmacy students in the class of 2020. This year’s enormously successful 2016 Crisafi Challenge will provide $55,000 in recruitment scholarships to even more deserving students.