Students, Faculty, Residents, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a hot and steamy Elkins Park campus where we are preparing to welcome over 370 incoming students to campus next week! This will be the most students we’ve had on campus since March, 2020 when we had to shut down due to the pandemic. We have been working diligently to ensure the health and safety of our new and returning students, and our faculty and staff. Starting today, our vaccine requirement becomes effective for all students, faculty and staff. Unless students, faculty or staff are fully vaccinated, have an approved medical or religious exemption or have a negative Covid test, they will not be permitted on campus or in our clinics. I am hopeful that you all have taken this seriously and have complied with this important policy. While much time and work has been concentrated on the upcoming Orientation week, here are some other things that I hope will be of interest to you:
THE RETURN OF SEP: The Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University recently welcomed a cohort of 14 PCO/Salus Doctor of Optometry applicants to its recently relaunched Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), renamed the Robert E. Horne SEP as a tribute to its founder. This year, the program’s recruitment efforts placed special emphasis on Black and African American students who are historically underrepresented in health science. Read more here.
ORIENTATION WEEK: As I noted earlier, next week will be a busy week on campus because it’s Orientation Week, where new students have the opportunity to meet various representatives from Salus student service departments, clinical facilities and external organizations that can provide helpful resources to students during their time at the University. Check our website for details.
WHITE COAT CEREMONIES: Next week, we’ll recognize our students with White Coat ceremonies for all three colleges. This annual ceremony represents the transition from student to professional in training as first-year students will receive the symbol of their profession – the white coat. Recipients from all of the University’s clinical specialties include students from the Optometry, Audiology, Physician Assistant Studies, Occupational Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology degree programs will be honored. Look for stories and photos of the events on our website.
NEW RESIDENT PROFILE: This week’s new Resident profile features Kiera Jeschke, OD ‘21, ‘22Resident. After completing her residency, Dr. Jeschke hopes to work in the neuro-ophthalmic field in a hospital setting, but she hasn’t closed any doors yet. To read more about Dr. Jeschke, go to salus.edu/KieraJeschke.
FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s been a long road as we’ve navigated through the pandemic and pretty much everyone is ready to be done with it. Just because we’re starting to welcome students, faculty and staff back to campus in large numbers doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods - on the contrary, more than ever, we need to keep our guard up. It’s imperative that we continue to exercise important preventive measures such as masking, frequent hand washing, social distancing when possible and be prepared to pivot as conditions change. We were one of the first groups of local universities to require vaccines for all of our students, faculty and staff to ensure that we could create a safe “bubble” for all of us. Now, most institutions, to include the Federal government and Armed Forces, are following suit for the same reason. Models done by Yale University and others have concluded that vaccination coverage is the most powerful tool available to achieve a safe college environment. We have added an extra level of protection by closely following the CDC’s recommendation for masking for everyone when indoors.
I realize you’ve heard this before but it’s worth repeating - If you are not yet vaccinated, please, get it done now - we are relying on everyone to contribute to our success. Every vaccinated individual at Salus represents a solid link in our protection chain. Those who are not vaccinated are our weak links which present a risk to everyone - especially themselves. As we prepare to start this new, exciting and clearly unprecedented school year, I want everyone to keep in mind that we’re all in this together. For our students, our sole mission is to ensure your success as you learn and embrace your new professions. To our world-class faculty and staff - thank you for all you have done to prepare us for a successful re-opening and great school year. As everyone prepares for this upcoming week, please be mindful of both your physical and mental health and what you will be doing to protect and enhance both. Have a great weekend! Be safe, continue to wear your face masks, wash your hands frequently and socially distance when you can. I’m looking forward to welcoming everyone to our SALUS STRONG campus next week!
Mike
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