NSUCO - The Visionary Fall 2010

A Message from the University’s Chancellor Ray Ferrero, Jr., J.D. , Chancellor On behalf of the entire university, I want to thank all of our alumni who recently partici- pated in our Academic Outcomes Survey. The research initiative clearly validates the strength of our academic offerings and the strong learning outcomes that our graduates possess. The strong response we received gives us great confidence in the survey find- ings, and we appreciate your willingness to participate. In affirming your overall satisfaction with the institution’s aca- demic programs, an overwhelming 90 percent of NSU graduates would recommend their degree program to aspiring students. The study also affirmed our ability to prepare graduates for profes- sional success as 88 percent of survey respondents “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that Nova Southeastern University prepared them for their careers. In addition to our overall academic assessment, our survey was designed to garner feedback from graduates regarding program- specific outcomes. The timely and helpful insights we received will only help to ensure that we are meeting the rigorous de- mands of today’s competitive job market. This noteworthy study will provide important benchmark data for comparative purposes in subsequent years. We are steadfast in our commitment to providing students with innovative pro- grams and academic excellence that will prepare graduates for the dynamic challenges of the 21 st century. Thanks again for your continued interest in Nova Southeastern University and providing your feedback for this important assessment. NSUCO Receives $200,000 Gift from FOA Charities For New Kids in Distress Clinic FOA Charities, Inc. has provided a gift to NSUCO in the amount of $200,000 to purchase equipment for the college’s new clinic on the Kids in Distress (KID) campus inWiltonManors, Florida. FOA Charities, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation that has been organ- ized to support, benefit, or perform the charitable, educational, and scientific purposes of the Florida Optometric Association (FOA). The charity provides an apparatus and mechanism for the members of FOA to encourage and support the health and welfare and an improved quality of life for the residents of the state of Florida and individual communities within the state. This is ac- complished by funding grants, programs, and projects that pro- mote public education and awareness of the availability of vision care and provide vision care for the indigent. The college is working collaboratively with Kids In Distress to participate in an extraordinary undertaking to provide optomet- ric services to children who participate in the KID programs. KID is a local agency in Broward County, Florida, that provides a con- tinuum of care for abused, neglected, and at-risk children as well as families in crisis with emergency shelter, counseling, and other needed services. Their current services include crisis intervention, foster care and adoption, therapeutic preschool, complete be- havioral health services, parent education, domestic violence services, substance abuse treatment, kinship support, supervised visitation, access to medical care, and rehabilitative therapies. As part of the KID expansion for access to health care, NSU’s Col- lege of Optometry, along with the university’s College of Dental Medicine, will establish clinics on the KID campus. Approximately 175 optometric students (third and fourth year), as well as eight optometric residents, will provide vision care to over 5,000 chil- dren annually. The KID Vision Care Center, one of five centers under the college’s The Eye Care Institute umbrella, will contain eight examination rooms, special testing rooms, an optical dis- pensary, an optical laboratory, student conference room, and fac- ulty offices. Optometric services will be provided five days each week and 24/7 emergency eye services will be available. It is an- ticipated that the clinic will be scheduling its first patients in October. According to Tom Tomczyk, KID president and CEO, “The KID- NSU Dental and Optometry Clinic reflects our longstanding commitment to the communities we serve. By expanding serv- ices to include dental and optometric specialties, we are fur- ther helping to meet the critical needs of a very vulnerable population within our community.” NSU College of Optometry Alumni Inducted into the American Academy of Optometry Ten NSU College of Optometry alumni were inducted into the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) in November 2009 dur- ing the AAO’s annual meeting in Orlando. The inductees are Miriam H. Farag, O.D. (’05), Kenneth D. Boyle, O.D. (’94), Joseph Convertino, O.D. (’04), Michael A. Dagostino, O.D. (’04), Mona Kardani, O.D. (’08), Nichole Olson, O.D. (’01), Alison C. Ramsey, O.D., M.S. (’08), Christopher Lee Suhr, O.D. (’06), Anna Wong, O.D. (’99), and Celia Wong Tesinsky, O.D. (‘03). They were among the 164 new fellows who were inducted at the meeting’s annual banquet. Roughly 4,513 optometrists, vision scientists, residents, faculty members, and students, including those from NSU, attended the annual meeting at the Orlando World Center Marriott. The latest and very best of new discover- ies and developments in optometry were presented in over 200 education sessions and in the exhibit hall that encompassed over 250 booths. Optometry Students Take the Challenge On October 8, 2009, students at optometry schools across the United States came out in force to take the World Sight Day Chal- lenge and raise more than $5,000 to help give sight to millions in need. Denise Saunders , a class of 2011 NSUCO student, was in- troduced to Optometry Giving Sight at an industry trade show and felt a strong passion for its mission. She recruited other students to help and enlisted the support of local businesses. Best Buy do- nated several prizes for a raffle, while Saunders and her team raised $961 from both students and faculty members. Sarah Brehm (class of 2011), was able to tap into Bank of Amer- ica’s Matching Gift Program, turning the donation to Optometry Giving Sight into $1,922. Optometry Giving Sight funds projects that train local eye care professionals, establish infrastructure such as vision centers and schools of optometry, and deliver eye examinations and glasses in developing communities. B Y N. S COTT G ORMAN , O.D., M.S., E D .D., FAAO, D IRECTOR OF D EVELOPMENT AND A LUMNI R ELATIONS , E DITOR - IN -C HIEF , T HE V ISIONARY Briefs NEWS