Jim Granderson
Jim Granderson, director of admissions and student affairs for the School of Pharmacy, is the “heart and soul of the student admissions program,” according to Dean R. Pete Vanderveen.
As director, Granderson’s long list of responsibilities includes managing the admissions operation; working with the dean to ensure all students are registered properly; coordinating special sessions; updating publications; managing a staff of six; and making sure the school follows guidelines and policies to keep up to date with accreditation.
The admissions process is no small operation. Granderson and his staff process 1,500 applications a year, they interview 500 students and admit 185. Getting to know students and working with them is a big part of his job and his favorite aspect.
“I get to know the students pretty well,” says Granderson. “Then to see them go out and succeed brings a lot of gratification.”
Kari Trotter Wall, director of the USC Community Pharmacy, considers Granderson her “non-pharmacy mentor.” “His passion for his job and the students is amazing,” she says. “He knows all the students by name and all about them.”
Wall, who graduated from the pharmacy program in 2003, now works with Granderson to fine-tune the teaching program for the pharmacy student workers and notes that he “leads by example.”
“Jim takes a personal interest in the students who are recruited and admitted to the USC School of Pharmacy,” says Vanderveen. “Not only does he offer technical assistance, but he helps countless students deal with the life issues that inevitably arise during the four years of intense education and training.”
Granderson has been working for the school of pharmacy for 11 years. Prior to that, he worked in the Office of International Admissions (now the Office for International Services) and has been working for USC for about 25 years.
He describes his role as director as “different and challenging and changing constantly. “I come to work early and leave late. I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t enjoy it,” he adds.
Granderson earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and French from Tennessee State University, Nashville. He also attended Columbia Teacher’s College where he studied higher and adult education and taught English and math to elementary and junior high school students in West Africa for four years.