The Visionary Fall 2009

The Visionary – Fall 2009 • Page 19 20 pioneers. One of the most unique students in those early years was Charles Woody, Ph.D., who was an instructor in the College of Medical Sciences and was teaching general physiology to optometry students but ended up joining their class and graduating with an O.D. degree in 1996. In fact, there were times when he was both student and faculty! In 1994, Southeastern University of the Health Sciences in North Miami Beach merged with Nova University in nearby Davie. This merger of academic institutions provided Nova University with a college of osteopathic medicine, a college of pharmacy, a college of optometry, and a college of allied health. This merger also brought about a name change for the institution from Southeastern University of the Health Sciences to Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Abel continued to serve as dean of the college, and the second graduating class was awarded 46 O.D. degrees. This time, the degrees read “Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry” for the first time. The period from 1994 to 1996 was truly a time of transition for NSUCO. In the summer of 1996, classroom teaching, laboratories, and patient care clinics made their move from North Miami Beach to the new $60 million Health Professions Division complex on the NSU campus in Davie. State-of-the-art equipment and modern classrooms transformed the learning experience for the students, while faculty members who were here at the time stated that everything was bigger and better on the new campus—except for their offices! From 1995-96, Terrance “Terry” Ingraham, O.D., served as the interim dean of NSUCO along with Dr. Janoff (associate dean for academic affairs), and Dr. Gorman (associate dean for clinical affairs). During Dr. Ingraham’s time leading the college, enrollment grew in both size and diversity. In fact, he is often credited with creating the “family of NSU College of Optometry.” Dr. Ingraham was a gifted clinician, researcher, teacher, administrator, and volunteer who in 1978 became the first African American to graduate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham College of Optometry. Dr. Ingraham was known for his extraordinary rapport with students and served as both the associate dean for student affairs and the interim dean. The 53 graduates of 1995 and the 77 graduates of 1996 were honored to have Dr. Ingraham as their dean. He passed away in January 2002 and will always be missed by the College of Optometry. By 1997, NSUCO continued to grow as class size increased from the original 27 students to 84 students. The college, however, needed visionary leadership, which it found following a national search in David S. Loshin, O.D., Ph.D. Dr. Loshin came to NSUCO after serving as dean of the University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry and as an assistant dean at the University of Houston College of Optometry. Well known for authoring the The Geometrical Optics Workbook in 1991, Dr. Loshin brought a passion for academics to NSUCO. In 1998, Paul Abplanalp, Ph.D., O.D., joined the college as the associate dean of academic affairs; a role he continued until his retirement in the summer of 2009. The profession of optometry continued to grow and change throughout the 1990s and beyond into the new millennium. During this time, the scope of practice in most states grew to include the use of all topical therapeutic medications as well as the use of some oral medications for the management of ocular diseases. However, not only was the practice of optometry changing…so were the students. The class of 1999 was the first class to ever graduate more female optometrists than male optometrists. This class of 100 students had 54 ladies and 46 gentlemen, which is a trend that has continued. Each subsequent graduating class increased the female-to-male ratio. By, 2005, the entering class was 70 percent female and 30 percent male. Applicants for admission grew rapidly, and by 1997, the number of students applying for the 100 available seats in the college reached 564. This trend continues today with almost 800 applications received in each of the most recent application cycles. In addition, The Eye Care Institute has continued to grow. Serving both Broward and Miami-Dade counties with over 48,000 patient visits per year at four locations, the clinics are well established as centers of excellence. Patient care is provided on the main NSU campus in Davie, the former Southeastern University campus in North Miami Beach, the Specialty Care Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and at the Lighthouse of Broward County. Specialty clinics such as glaucoma, low vision, pediatrics, strabismus, diabetic/macula, and electro-diagnostics have grown each year and provided outstanding learning experiences for all of the NSUCO graduates. In 2005, when the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education evaluated the entire professional program at NSUCO, it made “no recommendations” and provided the school with the longest possible accreditation. We should all be proud of this significant accomplishment. Another fact we must be extremely proud of is the great success of NSUCO students on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) examinations. In 2008, the passage rate for NSUCO first-time takers of Part I Applied Basic Science was 98.06 percent. This is truly an outstanding accomplishment that all of the faculty, staff, and alumni should be proud of. Following the most recent administration of Part 2 of the NBEO examination in 2008, 98.04 percent of the NSUCO students passed on their first attempt. Part 3 of the NBEO examination typically lets our NSUCO student show off their clinical skills. On several occasions throughout NSUCO’s history, the pass rate for this exam has been 100 percent. We are confident these great achievements will continue as NSUCO enters its next 20 years. What do the next 20 years hold for Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry? Continued growth in students, faculty, research, and optometric practice are all in our future. The 21 st entering NSUCO class members took their seats on August 10, 2009. They entered a very different college than those first students in 1989. Today’s students come to our school from 26 states and 3 countries and work in state-of- the-art facilities with over 100 exam rooms alongside 46 highly skilled faculty members. However, one thing that has remained the same since the earliest days of our college is that we are one family working toward a common goal of educating excellent future optometrists. Happy 20 th Anniversary NSU College of Optometry ! (Authors’ note: I would like to thank Drs. David Loshin, Arnie Patrick, and Chris Woodruff for offering their institutional memory and assistance with this article.)