Thanking Our Board of Trustees for their Service: Week of September 15, 2023

 

Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning from London, England where I am about to jump on a plane back to Philadelphia from the President’s Conclave at Oxford University, a rigorous and informative meeting of college presidents focused on key challenges facing higher education and novel solutions. Dr. Daire Keogh, President of Dublin City University, and I were invited to discuss our institutions’ experience with mergers. His university is 5-years post-merger with St. Patricks University in Dublin. I look forward to inviting President Keogh to Salus in the near future to share with you his experience. I've attached a few photos from Oxford for your viewing pleasure.

In addition to this, here are some things you might be interested in:

LOOKING OUT FOR KIDS TICKETS: Tickets are available for the 2023 Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) event at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at The Switch House at The Battery in Philadelphia. We are excited to honor Susan Oleszewski, OD ‘76, Resident ‘78, FAAO — founder of LOFK — with the Lighthouse Award, which recognizes beacons of light and strength in the community in which they live, work and serve above and beyond their occupations. Click here to order your tickets.

NEW CHER INTERIM DEAN: Congratulations to Lauren Sponseller, PhD ‘18, OTD, MSOTR/L, MEd, CLA, chair of the Occupational Therapy (OT) department at Salus University, who was recently named interim dean of the University’s College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER). Click here to read more about Dr. Sponseller’s new responsibilities.

FORWARD THINKING: When Alfred Mwamba, AuD ‘14, graduated from Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA), he became the first and only audiologist in his home country of Zambia, southern Africa. Since then, Dr. Mwamba has trained 83 people serving in 17 countries across Africa in hearing healthcare services. Read more here about Dr. Mwamba’s effort.

FINAL THOUGHTS: We are preparing to welcome our all-volunteer Board of Trustees on campus Sunday night for a social in our new cafeteria spaces followed by our quarterly board meeting on Monday. These 21 individuals have given their time, knowledge, professional experiences, and philanthropy over the course of their tenure on our board. Some members have been with us for almost 30 years, a remarkable commitment.

I am deeply grateful for their collective leadership and service, especially as together, we worked tirelessly to ensure the sustainability and growth of all of our stellar programs with our impending merger with Drexel. We would not be here without their insights, guidance and dedication. If you have the opportunity to express your thanks as a member of our Salus community, I encourage you to do so.

As you prepare for the weekend, it appears we’ve dodged Hurricane Lee but please keep those in its path in your thoughts and prayers. When you’re out and about, please remember that Covid cases are still rising in our area so if you are going to be around crowds, masking might be prudent. Stay safe, continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

-Mike