The Importance of Our Constitution: Week of January 5, 2024

 

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

Happy New Year! We’re excited to welcome everyone back to campus for our Spring Semester. It’s going to be an exciting year as we continue preparations for our merger with Drexel. Here are some things that I hope you will find of interest:

FIRST FLOOR SOUTH RIBBON CUTTING: We are excited to officially unveil our renovated first floor south student lounge and cafe spaces with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Join us in the first floor south area on January 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to celebrate. Lunch and giveaways will be provided. RSVP for the ribbon cutting here.

REMEMBERING DR. ALGERNON PHILLIPS: Algernon Phillips, OD ‘69, MD, a trailblazer for the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University’s commitment to global service, passed away on December 29, 2023. Dr. Phillips founded PCO’s Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH) chapter and paved the way for the global healthcare impact PCO/Salus maintains today. Dr Phillips and his family have been a part of our PCO/Salus family for many years. The entire Salus community sends our condolences to Dr. Phillips’ family and friends and thanks him for his tremendous impact on the University.

DISCOVERING CAREERS IN BLVS: Hear from Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) alumni Katelyn (Kate) Maffei, MEd ‘21, TVI, VRT, and Kinshasa Coghill, MS ‘02, CLVT, CVRT, OMS, and current student Carolyn Pijanowski '24VRT, '24O&M, on how they discovered the BLVS profession, and why people from all backgrounds should consider the BLVS field. Read more about their journeys here.

OPTOMETRY CAREER FAIR: The Bennett Career Services Center is hosting a Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) Career Fair on Saturday, January 21, 2024, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Hafter Student Community Center. All PCO students are invited to attend. Click here to register. 

NORTHEAST REGIONAL ADVISORS FOR THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS: Today, we are thrilled to welcome representatives from the Northeast Regional Advisors for Health Professions where we have the opportunity to showcase all of our programs to over 80 participants as well as local regional colleagues. 

YOUNG ALUMNI: Hear from one of our young alumni, Abigail Possinger, AuD ‘22, about her journey into the audiology profession, and her experience at Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology. Read about her experience here. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week, newly elected Montgomery County Commissioners and Row Officers affirmed their oaths of office. The public ceremony marked a number of historic firsts: 

• Jamila Winder is the first African American woman to Chair the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners;
• Neil Makija, the first Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) to be elected County Commissioner, has also been named Chair of Montgomery County’s Board of Elections;
• Dr. Janine Darby is the first African American woman to be elected County Coroner;
• Tina Lawson is the first African American woman to be elected County Register of Wills.

It was exciting to attend this historic event! What struck me most was that in taking their oaths of office, each official vowed to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth. Our elected leaders don’t pledge loyalty to a person or governmental agency, but rather to the Constitution, one of our nation’s founding documents that delineates our rights as individuals and defines the separation and balance of power among our three governing branches.

As we begin this new year, it’s important for all of us to remember that the basis for our democracy originates from the Constitution. I encourage you to learn more about the Constitution as we enter what will be a consequential election year.

Our students return to campus next week and faculty and staff are preparing for their arrival. Take this last weekend to recharge and come back SALUS STRONG! This is going to be an exciting and eventful year for all of us!

Finally, it’s been almost two years since we’ve had any significant snow around here. It appears this we might experience at least a minor snowfall over the weekend. Please pay attention to weather reports and be careful when out and about. Have a great weekend!

-Mike

Remembering Pearl Harbor: Week of December 8, 2023

 

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

Good morning on this beautiful, clear, crisp Fall day! It’s been another busy week on campus as students complete final exams and clinical rotations and faculty start to prepare grades and do all the things that come with the end of a semester.

As things begin to wind down around campus, here are some items I hope will be of interest to you:

FAMOUS PATIENT: When Charles Klein, OD ‘67, arrived at the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (PSCO) in 1963, with long hair, not unlike many young people who were embracing the youth movement of the time. The Philadelphia area was becoming a hotbed of political and civil change, with a vibrant emerging folk music scene. Dr. Klein’s long hair didn’t escape the notice of University president Lawrence Fitch, OD ‘36. Click here to find out what creative solution Dr. Fitch found to Dr. Klein’s long hair, as well as who Dr. Klein’s first eventually famous patient would be during his clinical training at the University.

WHAT’S NEW IN SLP: In our latest podcast, we catch up with Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, director of the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program at Salus. Bob updates us on what’s new in the SLP program and at the Speech-Language Institute (SLI). Click here to listen to the podcast.

YOUNG ALUMNI: Check out this question-and-answer session with one of our “Young Alumni,” Jonah Casella, OD ‘22. Click here for details.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Eighty-two years ago today, following the December 7th surprise attack on our Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began his speech to Congress with this now famous line, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” That surprise attack claimed the lives of 2,403 service members and civilians. Another 1,178 people were injured in the attack. Two U.S. Navy battleships – the USS Arizona and the USS Utah were also permanently sunk, and 188 aircraft were destroyed.

There were many American heroes at Pearl Harbor. Doris Miller, an African American Sailor, served on the USS West Virginia. Like most African Americans in a segregated U.S. Navy, Miller was assigned to non-combat related duties such as a cook. That didn’t stop him from taking over an unmanned gun deck on the West Virginia to shoot down enemy planes, taking out at least one Japanese fighter and possibly more. His actions were depicted in the movie Pearl Harbor. Miller was passed over for the Medal of Honor by then Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, who opposed Black sailors serving the United States in any combat role. Miller was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism. The Navy has since named a destroyer-escort in honor of Doris Miller.

According to the National World War II Museum, 418,500 American military and civilians lost their lives in the war. Worldwide, 15 million military service members and over 45 million civilians were killed over the course of the war. This was the price of freedom in the 1940’s.

The human toll and atrocities associated with World War II are almost incomprehensible. Hopefully, never to be repeated.

In his 1905 publication The Life of Reason, George Santayna famously observed, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As healthcare professionals and global citizens, we too must keep these lessons in mind. With all that is happening in the world today, combined with the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia, the lessons of the past become even more relevant.

Our call to action is to learn from the past, honor heroes, such as Doris Miller, whose selfless courage we strive to emulate, and to exercise tolerance, respect and positive influence on all whom we touch as healthcare providers, educators and researchers. Remember the human price that has been paid to protect democracy from anarchists. We have a sacred responsibility to preserve that through our actions.

As you prepare for the weekend, I hope your studying for finals goes well and that you take some time to reflect on the sacrifices of all who have given us the opportunities to study, work and care for others. Stay safe, continue to look out for others and come back next week SALUS STRONG! Happy Chanukah to our Jewish students, faculty and colleagues and friends!

-Mike