Continuing Our Advocacy for You: Week of January 26, 2024

 

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

Good morning from Drexel University where I continue to learn more about the College of Nursing and Health Professions as well as help to educate the folks here about all the great things we do at Salus. I had the opportunity to attend on Tuesday with Dr. Chad Duncan and Beth Moy the Hanger Foundation’s inaugural Night to Inspire event in Nashville. Hanger, the largest provider of orthotics and prosthetics in the country, hosts many of our O&P students at their sites. It was amazing to learn about the wonderful opportunities that the foundation is providing for children through their support of Camp No Limits, whose mission is to “empower young people with limb loss or difference to discover and develop a healthy, happy, and independent lifestyle.” Hats off to Dr. Duncan and our O&P staff for fostering such an important relationship. Here are some other items I hope you will find interesting:

TOP JOBS: Several of Salus University’s academic programs secured top spots in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 Best Jobs and Top Healthcare Jobs rankings. Read more about where our program professions ranked here.

DAY IN THE LIFE: Have you ever wondered what a typical day looks like for a first-year Speech-Language Pathology student at Salus? Read more about Haley Tevnan’s ‘25SLP typical day here.

THIS WEEK’S TECH TUESDAY: Jacalyn Harris, MPO, CPO/L, and Virginia Muthard, CPO/L, FAAOP, tell us about one of their favorite pieces of O&P equipment: the cast saw. Click here to watch and here to see more in the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we begin this new year and our merger with Drexel comes closer to becoming a reality for all of us, I want our faculty and staff to know that I and members of the President’s Council are listening to your concerns, and to the best of our abilities, we are continuing to advocate for you with our colleagues at Drexel. We are also keeping our Board of Trustees informed.

I know that we have not been able to provide you with all the answers to your questions, especially as they pertain to certain aspects of compensation and benefits. But all of us, including our Drexel colleagues, share an unwavering commitment to fair and open collaboration on these issues. To that end, we will be inviting various Drexel leaders to campus to discuss, both generally and individually, how changes may affect you. I hope to provide specific dates during our upcoming Community Meeting next week in addition to some more answers as we progress.

I realize it’s difficult to plan and maintain a positive outlook without having this important information, and I empathize with you. You have my commitment to continue to answer your questions as quickly as possible in the weeks ahead.

To our students, our continuing commitment to your education remains a driving motivation underpinning this merger. I remain extremely excited about the opportunities Drexel will provide you, our faculty and staff moving forward. I look forward to spending time with our Student Council leaders early next week to share efforts to date and to answer your questions.

As you prepare for this weekend, know that the Salus leadership continues to be actively engaged on your behalf. Together we are SALUS STRONG!

- Mike

Salus Weekly Update: Week of January 19, 2024

 

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

Greetings on this snowy morning as most of us work virtually from home. Even with the snow earlier in this short week, it’s been busy on campus between classes, labs and clinics all going full speed. It’s amazing how these shorter weeks often feel like they are really long!

As we prepare for today’s snow, here are some items that I hope will be of interest to you:

OPTOMETRY CAREER FAIR: The Bennett Career Services Center is hosting a Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) Career Fair on Sunday, January 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Hafter Student Community Center. Network with nearly 50 employers to learn about several career options for future graduates. Click here to register.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. O’SULLIVAN: Gerard (Gerry) O’Sullivan, PhD, joined the Salus University family in March of 2023 as interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs (VPAA) after the retirement of Dr. Barry Eckert. Learn more about Dr. O’Sullivan’s expertise in higher education, and how it benefits Salus in his current role as provost and VPAA here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: While studying Kinesiology at the University of Maryland, Max Manson’s, MS ‘19, paper on focal hand dystonia led Mason to learn about sensory rehabilitation and learning braille to try and alleviate symptoms of the condition in the fingers. That helped his decision to enroll in the Vision Rehabilitation Therapy program within the Blindness and Low Vision Studies Department at Salus University. Learn more about Max’s career journey here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we close out this week that started and ended with a snowfall I thought it appropriate to end this week’s update with a few pictures from Tuesday and this morning of our beautiful campus. Wishing everyone a safe and restful weekend. Please be careful when venturing out as not only will it be very icy, but temperatures will also be extremely cold. We want everyone back next week SALUS STRONG!

- Mike

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Week of January 12, 2024

 

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

Greetings from Drexel University where, as co-chair of the Drexel-Salus Integration Council, I am spending a couple of days a week to facilitate a smooth integration ahead of final approval from the U.S. Department of Education. Everyone I have met has been excited about the possibilities for innovation, interprofessional education and the development of pipelines into our programs. In addition to this, here are some other things I hope you will find of interest:

FACULTY RECOGNITION: Two members of our esteemed faculty have recently been recognized with outstanding honors:

• Jennifer Bergstrom, EdD, CCC-SLP, assistant professor in the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program at Salus, began her term as the vice president (VP) of finance for the United States Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC) on January 1. USSAAC is an organization dedicated to supporting the needs and rights of people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Read more about her new position here.
• Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO, director of the Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program at Salus, has been named to the Fulbright Specialist Roster for a tenure of three years. As a member of the roster, Dr. Duncan is now eligible to be matched with projects designed by host institutions in more than 150 countries globally during his tenure. Read more about the honor here.

I CHOSE SALUS: Early clinical exposure and interprofessional learning are integral program components at Salus University and are why Brittany Cullen ‘27AUD, chose to pursue Audiology here. Learn more about why Brittany chose Salus.

THIS WEEK’S TECH TUESDAY: Marisa Guardino '24MSOT tells us about her favorite pieces of occupational therapy equipment for pediatric fine motor skills. Click here to watch and see more in the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS: On Monday our nation will celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Righteousness, equality, justice, and nonviolence are key tenets of the American civil rights movement he led. How might we, as healthcare providers, educators and researchers emulate and apply these principles?

As I have in year’s past, I encourage you to take seventeen minutes to watch Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. While we have all heard parts of it, I suspect many have never listened to the entire speech. My hope is that you experience something far greater than the momentary satisfaction of social media.

To honor Dr. King, let me share several quotes that reflect what I believe we do at Salus and that our Drexel colleagues also embody: 

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

Our Salus community is a tapestry of different backgrounds and cultures. Together, we bring our diverse strengths, thoughts and actions to impact the future of healthcare, education, research and professional practice. Salus and Drexel’s shared commitment to community service not only ties our universities together, it is a distinguishing hallmark of which we can both be proud.

Monday’s holiday is the only national holiday designated as a Day of Service to encourage all to improve their communities as a tribute to Dr. King. Dr. King lived his life serving others through his actions and words. As Dr. King said, “Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others. Let’s try to live that adage in these turbulent times.

As you prepare for the weekend, try to reflect of some of Dr. King’s lessons and work to employ those lessons in your daily interactions with your patients, clients, family members and friends. Be safe, continue to look out for one another and come back on Tuesday SALUS STRONG!

-Mike

The Importance of Our Constitution: Week of January 5, 2024

 

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

Happy New Year! We’re excited to welcome everyone back to campus for our Spring Semester. It’s going to be an exciting year as we continue preparations for our merger with Drexel. Here are some things that I hope you will find of interest:

FIRST FLOOR SOUTH RIBBON CUTTING: We are excited to officially unveil our renovated first floor south student lounge and cafe spaces with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Join us in the first floor south area on January 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to celebrate. Lunch and giveaways will be provided. RSVP for the ribbon cutting here.

REMEMBERING DR. ALGERNON PHILLIPS: Algernon Phillips, OD ‘69, MD, a trailblazer for the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University’s commitment to global service, passed away on December 29, 2023. Dr. Phillips founded PCO’s Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH) chapter and paved the way for the global healthcare impact PCO/Salus maintains today. Dr Phillips and his family have been a part of our PCO/Salus family for many years. The entire Salus community sends our condolences to Dr. Phillips’ family and friends and thanks him for his tremendous impact on the University.

DISCOVERING CAREERS IN BLVS: Hear from Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) alumni Katelyn (Kate) Maffei, MEd ‘21, TVI, VRT, and Kinshasa Coghill, MS ‘02, CLVT, CVRT, OMS, and current student Carolyn Pijanowski '24VRT, '24O&M, on how they discovered the BLVS profession, and why people from all backgrounds should consider the BLVS field. Read more about their journeys here.

OPTOMETRY CAREER FAIR: The Bennett Career Services Center is hosting a Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) Career Fair on Saturday, January 21, 2024, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Hafter Student Community Center. All PCO students are invited to attend. Click here to register. 

NORTHEAST REGIONAL ADVISORS FOR THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS: Today, we are thrilled to welcome representatives from the Northeast Regional Advisors for Health Professions where we have the opportunity to showcase all of our programs to over 80 participants as well as local regional colleagues. 

YOUNG ALUMNI: Hear from one of our young alumni, Abigail Possinger, AuD ‘22, about her journey into the audiology profession, and her experience at Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology. Read about her experience here. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week, newly elected Montgomery County Commissioners and Row Officers affirmed their oaths of office. The public ceremony marked a number of historic firsts: 

• Jamila Winder is the first African American woman to Chair the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners;
• Neil Makija, the first Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) to be elected County Commissioner, has also been named Chair of Montgomery County’s Board of Elections;
• Dr. Janine Darby is the first African American woman to be elected County Coroner;
• Tina Lawson is the first African American woman to be elected County Register of Wills.

It was exciting to attend this historic event! What struck me most was that in taking their oaths of office, each official vowed to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth. Our elected leaders don’t pledge loyalty to a person or governmental agency, but rather to the Constitution, one of our nation’s founding documents that delineates our rights as individuals and defines the separation and balance of power among our three governing branches.

As we begin this new year, it’s important for all of us to remember that the basis for our democracy originates from the Constitution. I encourage you to learn more about the Constitution as we enter what will be a consequential election year.

Our students return to campus next week and faculty and staff are preparing for their arrival. Take this last weekend to recharge and come back SALUS STRONG! This is going to be an exciting and eventful year for all of us!

Finally, it’s been almost two years since we’ve had any significant snow around here. It appears this we might experience at least a minor snowfall over the weekend. Please pay attention to weather reports and be careful when out and about. Have a great weekend!

-Mike

President's New Year's Message: Week of December 29, 2023

 

To Our Salus University Community:

As we stand on the threshold of a new year, one filled with hope and possibilities, I want to take a moment to reflect on our journey together and the exciting path that lies ahead.

The past year has been a testament to our resilience and commitment. Each one of you, through your dedication and spirit, has contributed to the vibrant tapestry that makes Salus a beacon of excellence and innovation. From our founding as the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry in 1919 through the evolution into the premier health science university we are today, we have always pushed the envelope to expand and improve those professions we serve. As we prepare to merge with Drexel in 2024, we are embarking on a journey of continued growth and expanded opportunities. This merger symbolizes the coming together of two storied institutions and the blending of our shared values and aspirations.

I understand that change, even positive, can be accompanied by a mix of emotions. While many are excited about the new prospects and collaborations this merger will bring, it's natural for some to feel uncertain about what the future holds. I want to assure you that every step we take is with the intention of strengthening our community, enhancing our educational environment, and expanding our impact.

As we look forward to this new chapter, we also need to be mindful of the broader challenges our world is facing. Many around the world are grappling with hardships and uncertainties. Therefore, we must carry forward our commitment to compassion and support, not just within our university walls but also in the wider community we are a part of.

The new year is a time for new beginnings, renewed commitments, and fresh perspectives. I encourage you to embrace it with an open heart and a united spirit. Together, we will continue to foster an environment of learning, discovery, innovation, and service. We will write a new chapter in the storied history of Salus University, one that is marked by innovation, collaboration, and a deep sense of community.

Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. Your passion, your ideas, and your spirit are what make Salus a remarkable place. As we move forward, we do so with the resolve and resilience that makes us SALUS STRONG. In the same spirit, we eagerly anticipate the synergies and strengths that our partnership with Drexel University will bring, embarking on this new era with a shared vision of excellence and innovation.

Here's to a new year filled with health, happiness, and transformative achievements. Together, we will write a new chapter in our history that reflects our legacy, collective spirit, and commitment to making a difference.

With regards and best wishes for the New Year,

Mike