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

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