NSUCO - The Visionary Fall 2010

What Will NSU’s College of Optometry Look Like in 2020 ? the VISIONARY • Summer/Fall 2010 1 A Message from the Dean: David Loshin, O.D., Ph.D., FAAO As dean of the College of Optometry since 1997, I have presided over an evolutionary process that has brought us far beyond the singular goal of the college at its inception―to train and graduate competent optometrists. While that goal still exists, as it should, the college has broadened its reach and influence by foraying into serious research, creating additional and unique educational pro- grams, and expanding our outreach to the community. The Eye Care Institute continues to grow, offering an ever-widening set of specialty services at our clinical locations. The college’s faculty members and students participate actively in community out- reach programs. We have also forged mutual exchange programs with institutions in other countries such as China, Spain, and South America. Having come this far, where will the college head over the next 10 years? My vision is that NSU’s College of Optometry will be a leading op- tometric institution with a national and international reputation for its clinical, postgraduate, and continuing education programs. Following are some examples: • The college will be a leader for its optometric education―widely renowned for its clinical training and innovative approach. • We will be known for our service to underserved populations and the community. • We will be recognized as a leader in various focused areas of clinical research and will be renowned for our ability to apply knowledge and research findings to practical clinical application. • We will create a mutually rewarding relationship with our alumni, providing them with various benefits and benefitting in return from their support of our growth and development. How will we accomplish these goals? First, we must recruit and retain high-caliber faculty members with unique backgrounds and expertise. To that end, we continue to search for and hire faculty members with research experience who will mentor clinical and less-experienced faculty. We will ex- pand faculty development programs to enhance skills in course development, scholarship training, grant writing, and clinical teaching techniques. Second, we must expand and maintain clinical facilities and equip- ment so we may increase patient numbers from diverse and un- derserved populations. To accomplish this goal, the college plans to build its own clinical facility in the Fort Lauderdale neighbor- hood where we presently rent space from another organization. It is anticipated that this location will serve a patient base that will provide wide-ranging diagnostic and patient care opportunities to our students, simultaneously improving both the health of our patients and enriching the educational experiences of our students. Additionally, The Eye Care Institute has entered into an agreement with the Kids in Distress organization to provide eye care services to its many clients. The recipients of these services are children who comprise an underserved population that is in serious need of health care, to which they currently have very limited access. We will operate this clinic on the Kids in Distress campus, provid- ing eye care services 5 days per week and on a 24/7 emergency basis, alongside the College of Dental Medicine, which will also operate a clinic at this site. Both of these new centers will increase our patient numbers, augment the diversity already found among our patient base, and serve those populations that currently have limited or no access to health care, beyond the very basic. Third, the use of technology in the delivery of education is requi- site. The overwhelming majority of students that comprise our classes are, by mere virtue of the generation to which they be- long, technologically savvy with a strong preference for learning through technology. Our faculty members are already using a va- riety of formats for both the professional and graduate programs, including online delivery of course content and instant response systems in the classroom. Many faculty members utilize their own Web sites, while others are testing the newest devices on the mar- ket in a quest to enhance instructional capabilities. We will con- tinue to move in this direction, using the most advanced devices and programs available, which will enable us to remain connected with our students long after they have graduated. The future of Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry looks bright and exciting. I invite you to stay tuned as we progress―and to see how NSUCO looks in 2020.