After nine years as the dean and 27 years of insurmountable passion and dedication in his work at the Idaho State University College of Pharmacy, the end of spring semester 2021 also brought the retirement of Dr. Paul Cady.

Cady grew up in Gilbert, Arizona, where his father owned a pharmacy. At five years old he worked the cash register in his dad’s store. In first grade, he declared, in a classroom assignment, “I am Paul Cady. I am 6 years old. When I get big I want to be a druggist.” Mission accomplished.

After high school, Cady went on to graduate with a pharmacy degree from the University of Arizona. He and his family moved to Pocatello where he became an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy in 1990. In 2009, he was selected as the 11th dean in the history of the College, where he served until August 2018.

In 2014, Cady and his wife Merriann created The Cady Endowment to provide necessary financial resources to support student pharmacist outreach initiatives, including Operation Heart, Operation Immunization, and Operation Diabetes.

Upon retirement, Cady said, “With the recent changes in the rules that govern pharmacy’s scope of practice, very positive developments in pharmaceutical sciences, and increasing collaboration among faculty to build a health outcome research focus, I believe the College of Pharmacy is poised to achieve new and wonderful heights.”

Cady was grateful for the support he has received during his time at ISU, and asked for continued support for the College of Pharmacy, saying, “Indeed, these are exciting times. I thank each of you for your efforts in ensuring the success of the College of Pharmacy. There were some rough times in recent years, but as a team, we were, and will continue to be successful. It has been a pleasure to serve as your dean and work with you. I have been, and always will be, proud to be a member of your team.”