Getting Ready for Thanksgiving: Week of November 22nd, 2019

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

Greetings this early morning from our Elkins Park campus where it’s feeling like Fall and we’re getting ready for Thanksgiving next week!

A few nights ago, Drs Eckert, Trego and I, along with Ms. Jacquie Patterson and Kate Braemer were in Chicago for our last stop on the Centennial Tour. We had a great time visiting with both optometry and audiology alumni.  I’d like to thank the whole Institutional Advancement team for planning and organizing all of the events over the last 3 months as well as all of our faculty, staff, alumni and friends who came out to see us!   We’ll start planning for similar events sometime early next year so we can continue this important outreach to all of our alumni around the country.

Speaking of reaching out to alumni and friends, Dr. Eckert and I are on the road again as you read this as we head down to Orlando to spend time with our Audiology and SLP students, faculty, alumni and friends at the annual meeting of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).  Many of our students and faculty will be presenting lectures and posters during this annual meeting.  Additionally, we’ll be hosting an Alumni and Friends reception later this evening (Friday) in Plaza Ballroom 1 of the Hyatt Regency Orlando starting at 8PM, so if you’re at the meeting or just happen to be in the “neighborhood”, please stop by and join us!

December 3rd is the international day of charitable giving, Giving Tuesday.  In honor of the special day, we have a special request for you - help Looking Out for Kids and its Big Red Bus!  As some of you have seen, first hand, our 18-year old Big Red Bus has grown tired and old and is in desperate need of replacing. To learn more and see how you can help, please visit salus.edu/givingtuesday and think about giving, even as little as $10, to this most worthy cause on Giving Tuesday. Every dollar helps!

The Salus University Alumni Association, in an effort to support our students and their professional endeavors, is pleased to announce our ninth application period for financial support to students attending professional conferences or traveling with qualifying student outreach programs.  This application period is for travel that will occur between February 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020. The following link details the criteria/qualifications, the process for evaluation, and the actual application https://forms.gle/CSGxMBGKLpD6xsFH9  The submission due date is December 31, 2019.

Finally, today has historic significance in that it was the day that Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas in 1963. For those of you old enough, do you remember where you were?

I hope you all have a great weekend and have some time to get out and enjoy the late fall weather.  Be safe and look out for one another!

Mike

A Busy Week on Campus: Week of November 1st

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

Earlier this week, Dr. Aravamudhan met with OCA alumni from the distance education program at the Canadian Academy of Audiology conference. Alumni were excited to discuss how the AuD Bridge program has helped them to increase their confidence in the services they provide and the breadth of their practice. 

Today is going to be a very busy day on campus!  This morning, it’s my pleasure to be hosting representatives from Cedar Crest College in celebration of our new articulation agreement. To learn more about the agreement, visit salus.edu/ccc.

We’ll also be hosting State Representatives Steve McCarter and Jordan Harris on campus.  My intent with all of these visits is to educate our legislators about our programs and the importance of all of our providers being able to practice at the level they’re taught.  We are also attempting to have the legislature reinstate funding for us that would help to offset tuition and some of the indigent care we provide at our various clinics.  None of this is a “given”.  It takes a great deal of time and effort to gain the support of our legislators.  That’s true as we talk about scope of practice or line items on the budget.  Hence, the importance of all of us interacting with our elected officials to ensure they know the importance of their support.

Carlos Rodriguez, Director of Safety and Security, will be hosting an Emergency Preparedness Training session today at 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in S305B. If you’re available, please attend this important training so you can learn how to be better prepared in the event there is an emergency on campus. 

There will also be an AccessMatters Presentation today from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in S305A that will provide education on important topics related to personal sexual and reproductive health and will also provide ways to remain patient and client-centered and avoid the “white coat syndrome” when discussing these issues with patients. 

Tomorrow night is a special night as we celebrate our 13th Annual Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) charity fundraiser. This year, we are proud to honor Alan Lindy as the 2019 Lighthouse Award Recipient for his long standing relationship with and commitment to recognizing the value and importance of quality vision care to ensure academic success for school-age children. If you're interested in attending, it's not too late, tickets are still available for purchase! Or if you would like to make a donation, please visit salus.edu/lofk.

On Sunday, Salus University and the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) will be hosting a reception and panel discussion at the annual meeting and expo for the American Public Health Association (APHA). Spearheaded by Dr. Tony Di Stefano, the reception will be in collaboration with Vision Care Section (VCS) as they celebrate their 40th anniversary. Hosted at the largest and most influential gathering of public health professionals, the reception is a great opportunity to explore a variety of IPE opportunities in public health.

On Tuesday, we will be hosting another Centennial Tour stop in Pittsburgh, Pa. Held at the Federal Galley on Children’s Way, I look forward to seeing some of our alumni and friends out there. After Pittsburgh, we only have two more stops on our tour! See where we’re headed next at salus.edu/centennial-tour.

Next Thursday, Nov. 7, we will be celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI). PEI has grown so much over the last 15 years and I’d like to thank the entire Salus community for playing a part in its success throughout the years. It truly is a team effort and we’re excited to see where the next 15+ years take us. Come and celebrate this momentous occasion on the fourth floor lobby of the north building from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. To register for the event, click here.   

It's November and the weather is changing, so please try to get outside and enjoy what’s left of the fall leaves.  Enjoy the weekend and have some fun.  Looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday!

Mike