Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from our Elkins Park campus on a beautiful Fall day. It’s been a busy week as students prepare for finals, we hosted our Drexel colleagues on campus and opened our new cafeteria. Here are some other items of interest for you:
BIG NIGHT FOR LOFK: The Salus University stars came out for the 16th annual Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) charity fundraiser Saturday night, not only to support the LOFK program but to honor one of our own, Susan “Dr. O.” Oleszewski, OD ‘76, Resident ‘78, MA, FAAO, as the 2023 Lighthouse Award winner. Thanks to all who attended, made donations and participated in our online auction. To read more about the evening, click here. And if you are interested in LOFK giving opportunities, click here.
THANKSGIVING MEAL: Salus University is making it a little easier for those not traveling home for the Thanksgiving holiday. The University will offer a complimentary holiday meal prepared by Metz Culinary. The meal choices are a turkey dinner plate (chicken will be substituted if turkey is not available) or a vegetarian option. Dessert will be included as well. For those interested, click here to fill out the form. Please place your order by noon Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. The date for the meal pick-up will be Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2023. Respondents will receive an email reminder with the pick-up time availability.
CHER CAREER FAIR: Salus University's Occupational Therapy (OT) and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students got a peek into their futures at the first-ever College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER) career fair held Nov. 6, 2023, at the Hafter Student Community Center gymnasium on the Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, campus. The event included 24 businesses from the Philadelphia region and some that represented companies from across the nation. It was a great opportunity for our OT and SLP students to network. Click here to read more about the event.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Robert Fitzgerald, MS ‘99, has always advocated for disadvantaged populations. The training he received at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University was instrumental in helping him build a successful career in that area. And he’s maintained a strong connection with Salus by serving on the Blindness and Low Vision Services (BLVS) department’s advisory board and serving as a preceptor for the program. Read more about Robert here.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week, President John Fry and several of our Drexel colleagues met to discuss and advance Integration Council efforts. We were delighted to show them our newest spaces on campus and The Eye Institute, where Salus deans, directors and president’s council members had an opportunity to gather with their Drexel counterparts.
Relationship building is so important as we move closer to July, when many of our functions will begin to integrate in earnest. One of the most important predictors of success in any merger or partnership is the development of trust and familiarity. It is normal to feel unsettled because of the upcoming changes. Creating space and time to interact socially requires a commitment on both parts, particularly as the holidays approach and schedules get busier. The time invested now in building trust and camaraderie will pay dividends later as the work of integration gets more complex.
As we create opportunities to build connections among our Salus and Drexel colleagues in the coming months, please let me know how we can help and support your efforts to strengthen relationships with your counterparts beyond the work of the integration council. I know how excited our Drexel colleagues are to have us join them. Together we will make exceptional contributions to the higher education landscape.
Special thanks to Rick Echevarria, Amie Leighton, Chris Esposito, Rich Stankovis, and our facilities, technology, security and Metz food services staff for getting our newly renovated cafeteria and first floor areas ready for the soft opening earlier this week. The firepit is a great addition to our patio and it’s great to see folks enjoying it! Also, thanks to Jacquie Patterson, Alexis Abate, Juliana Mosley-Williams and our institutional advancement and communications staff for the fantastic Looking Out For Kids event. Dr. O’s inspiring comments as she received the Lighthouse Award touched everyone in the room.
I hope everyone has a great weekend and Thanksgiving holiday. It’s a time to recharge ahead of the sprint to the semester’s finish line in December. It’s going to be a nice weekend, so try to get outside and enjoy the last of the leaves! Be safe, continue to look out for one another and if you haven’t yet gotten your flu and/or covid vaccinations, please put that on your dockets. Let’s finish out this semester SALUS STRONG!
-Mike
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