Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a sunny and relatively warm Elkins Park campus where I am writing this update from our new digs on the 4th floor of the North building. Together with Academic Affairs, we have moved from our office spaces in the West building to accommodate the construction of our Orthotics & Prosthetics spaces and new Activities of Daily Living lab. This is an exciting time to be at Salus! Here are some things of interest:
BOOSTER DEADLINE: Our February 13th deadline is quickly approaching. By Monday, all students, faculty and staff are to be boosted with an FDA-approved vaccine (or such later date that an individual first becomes eligible for a booster – i.e. six months after having received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine). Please remember to upload your booster information by Monday. An email has been sent with additional instructions.
ACCELERATED SCHOLARS PROGRAM: Three of our students share why they chose the Accelerated Scholars Program at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University. This program enables students to complete the traditional optometry program degree requirements in an accredited 36-month, year-round, campus-based program. To read more about their perspectives and experiences, click here.
OT vs. PT: In our latest podcast, we talk with Brianna Brim, MOT, OTR/L, CPAM, CLIPP, director of the Occupational Therapy Institute (OTI) and an assistant professor of Occupational Therapy. Second-year OT students — Bradley Hess, Aditi Kadakia and Rachel Boas; join in. They talk to us about the difference between OT and Physical Therapy (PT) and why they chose Salus University’s OT program. To read more, click here.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT: This week’s Staff Spotlight is on Jaime Schulang, MA, director of Student Financial Affairs at the University. Find out about her lifelong love affair playing the viola and how she met her musical hero. Read more here.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend Senator Bob Casey’s 2022 Higher Education Roundtable in Washington, DC. Thirty-five college presidents attended the meeting. Congresswoman Susan Wild, from the 7th Congressional District, kicked off the meeting with her priorities for higher education including support for college completion and obtaining skills that will allow them to earn livable wages. Ambassador Susan Rice, President Biden’s Domestic Policy Advisor, discussed the importance of Pell Grants. Of note, Ambassador Rice’s mother, Lois Rice -- a corporate executive and on the College Board, was instrumental in getting the original Pell Grant program passed almost 50 years ago. Ambassador Rice stressed the importance of making higher education accessible to everyone.
During the discussion period, I noted that while Pell grants are extremely beneficial for attending undergraduate schools, the current Pell guidelines have no impact on graduate programs. While we strongly advocate for additional funding for the Pell Grant program, these must be made available to graduate students as well as undergraduates. According to the Washington Post, 40 percent of today's federal student loans are given to graduate students with borrowing increasing by $2.3 billion over the course of six academic years. Comparatively, undergraduate borrowing decreased by $15 billion over the same time period.
These discussions are extremely important to raise awareness among leaders and policymakers to the challenges our students face. Know that I will continue to champion issues that impact you.
As you prepare for Super Bowl weekend, I hope your favorite team wins! In the meantime, as you participate in Super Bowl festivities or are out and about, please remember to wear your facemask around others (even in light of discussions to eliminate mask mandates, which I believe are premature) socially distance when you can, and continue to wash your hands frequently. As always, be safe, be smart and look out for one another – together we remain SALUS STRONG.
Mike
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