Emeritus professor and emeritus dean of the UConn School of Pharmacy, Dr. Karl A. Nieforth passed away on June 18, 2022.
Nieforth earned his BS in Pharmacy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1957, and Masters and Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry at Purdue University in 1959 and 1961. He began at UConn as an associate professor, and became associate dean of the School of Pharmacy in 1967. He became the school’s fifth dean in 1981 and served as such until December 1993.
Nieforth was an Honorary Member of the UConn Pharmacy Alumni Association and the 1993 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
As dean, Nieforth thrived helping colleagues and students. He worked to broaden the school’s community support, something that continues today. Significant accomplishments also include the development of an interdisciplinary program in biochemical toxicology and a federally-sponsored toxicology training program, as well as, a state supported drug design program. Faculty that were added in immunology and toxicology helped to further emphasize the school’s commitment and established the school as a national center of excellence in this area.
In keeping with his strong commitment to students, Nieforth also increased attention to undergraduate education, giving pharmacy students a more significant role in the development of their educational programs with a significant focus on professionalism.
Nieforth also began preliminary discussions concerning the construction of the modern School of Pharmacy building in use today.
Nieforth was dedicated to the School of Pharmacy in all ways and in 2000 completed the documentation of the School’s history, Road to Excellence, a history of the School of Pharmacy, which had been started by the previous dean, Arthur E. Schwarting.
“The history of this School,” Nieforth said “is the people who have served in it, and those who have been served by it, and therein rests its future.” The publication was once again updated to add recent years in 2020.
“The School of Pharmacy was enormously fortunate to have Dr. Nieforth as dean,” says Philip Hritcko, Dean. “His dedicated focus helped the School of Pharmacy turn the corner into teaching to the developing careers of graduate pharmacists and gave our researchers the support to grow their work into nationally and internationally impactful studies and findings. I was not at UConn when Dr. Nieforth was here but have heard so many wonderful stories of him helping students grow, and I did have many opportunities to talk with him at reunions, and at Connecticut Pharmacy Commission meetings, which he regularly attended. He was admirably dedicated, keeping himself up-to-date until very recent years.”
Funeral information can be found via The Potter Funeral Home in Willimantic.
In lieu of flowers please consider a contribution to the Karl A. and Joan C. Nieforth Pharmacy Student Scholarship (0030869) which provides scholarship support for UConn students enrolled in the Professional Program in the University’s School of Pharmacy.
Gifts can be made online or by check to: The UConn Foundation, Inc. (Memo: In Memory of Karl Nieforth 030869) and forward to: 2390 Alumni Drive Unit 3206, Storrs, CT 06269.
