DES MOINES, IOWA (May 7, 2024) — Drake University has selected Erik Maki, an accomplished and long-time faculty member at the University, as the next dean of its College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Maki will begin his role as dean July 1.
“I am delighted that Dr Maki will lead the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences,” said Drake University Provost Sue Mattison. “His experience, collaborative leadership skills, institutional history, and natural ability to cultivate relationships will further grow and strengthen the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, building upon the college’s accomplishments and reputation as a national leader.”
Maki has taught as a professor at Drake University since 2005 and currently serves as the Chair of Pharmacy Practice within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, a role in which he oversees nineteen esteemed faculty members and instructional, research, and service operations of the department.
Throughout his tenure at Drake, Maki has held numerous leadership roles and been instrumental in the launch of new and innovative programs within the pharmacy college, such as Master’s programs in athletic training, health-care informatics, and psychopharmacology, as well as the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program. Drake further expanded its health-care education offerings this spring with the addition of an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program.
During the pandemic, Maki’s leadership was instrumental in navigating Drake’s campus response. He organized and managed all campus COVID-19 testing and led the college’s community COVID-19 immunization efforts, resulting in the administration of more than 10,000 immunizations.
“Everything Dr Maki has achieved has been guided by his commitment to Drake’s mission and our students,” added Mattison.
“The Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a special place with a diverse portfolio of exceptional programs which supports both student demand and workforce needs,” said Maki. “I am honored to lead the college and partner with its outstanding faculty, alumni, students, and community to advance the college’s commitment to excellence and expand our impact and reach both locally and nationally.
Maki holds a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. In 2018, he completed the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s Academic Leadership Fellows Program.
Maki succeeds Renae Chesnut who stepped down from her role as Dean and into an administrative sabbatical on January 31, 2024. Chesnut served the University for nearly thirty years in various faculty and administrative appointments. She will retire from Drake on December 31, 2024.
Chuck Phillips, Professor of Pharmacy Administration and Associate Dean, is currently serving as the college’s Interim Dean and will resume his faculty role upon Maki’s appointment, which will begin July 1, 2024.
About Drake University
Drake University is recognized as one of the finest national liberal-arts universities. A distinctive and distinguished private university in Des Moines, Iowa, Drake enrolls approximately 2,700 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students. Students choose from more than 100 majors, minors, and concentrations and twenty graduate degrees offered through seven colleges and schools. In addition, Drake offers a range of continuing education programs serving working professionals, community members, and area businesses. Drake recognizes the importance of its location in Iowa’s capital city and seeks to connect its teaching and learning to the wealth of cultural, recreational, and business resources it provides. At the same time, it weaves global thinking and intercultural learning into everything it does, preparing students to lead in an
Increasingly-interconnected world
