spring of 1946, when it became the local student branch of the American Pharmaceutical Association. This change was made in order to enjoy the advantages of affiliation with this important national professional pharmacy organization. The charter was asked for and granted under the name Albert B. Prescott University of Michigan College of Pharmacy Student Branch. Thus, it became the first branch to honor an outstanding pharmacy educator and to carry on the tradition of a worth-while student club.
Almost at the same time as the founding of the Prescott Club, a more restricted student organization was formed. In May, 1908, the students and faculty of the College formed the Aristolochite Society for the purpose of promoting the advancement of pharmaceutical science by the encouragement and recognition of scholarship. It was soon to be approved as one of the campus honor societies and to develop beyond the Michigan campus when a second chapter was organized at the College of Pharmacy of the Oregon Agricultural College in 1919. In 1921, the Committee on Activities of Students and Alumni of the American Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties, with Zada M. Cooper as chairman, began to develop plans for a national pharmaceutical honor society. After the existence of the Aristolochite Society was pointed out to the committee, Professor Cooper in co-operation with the officers of the society made the organization national in scope. On June 3, 1922, the Aristolochite Society was granted a charter by the state of Michigan, but under the name of Rho Chi Society; the local group became the Alpha Chapter and the Aristolochite Society at Corvallis, Oregon, became Beta Chapter of Rho Chi. At the present time there are forty-two chapters of this national honorary pharmaceutical society open to individuals on the basis of scholarship and service to pharmacy, irrespective of sex, race, or creed. Membership in this organization is considered to be the highest professional honor that a student can attain.
Pharmacy students enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to visit neighboring manufacturing plants. The Announcement as far back as 1901-2 has described such annual excursions, and the President's Report for 1924-25 outlines a westward trip including the Kellogg Company, the Battle Creek Sanitarium, the Upjohn Company at Kalamazoo, and the plants of Bauer and Black Company and the Abbott Laboratories in Chicago. In addition to these companies, the Parke, Davis and Company of Detroit and the Eli Lilly Company of Indianapolis have been very generous for many years in entertaining pharmacy students while showing and explaining their manufacturing procedures to them.
The student body of the College has been fortunate in having available since 1906 a student loan fund. In August of the previous year, the Michigan State Pharmaceutical Association met in Kalamazoo and established the Prescott Memorial Scholarship Loan Fund in honor of the first Dean of the College of Pharmacy. The fund has since grown to approximately $3,500. Over the years, it has made a very definite contribution to the education of worthy students.
In 1943 securities from the estate of Harry Helfman were granted to the College to establish the Harry Helfman Pharmacy Student Aid Fund. Money from this fund is still available for grants and loans to pharmacy students. In recent years there has also been available undergraduate scholarship aid from funds provided by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.
Special scholarship prizes and awards have also been granted to pharmacy
