MSCHE/ACOE Self Study

implementing its five-year strategic plan, A Shared Vision . Annual operational goals for each area of the College (Institutional Goals) are derived from this plan . The recent adoption of key indicators and planned posting of these metrics on the College’s website should further augment the current culture of planning and assessment. By almost any measure, the professional (OD) program is strong and dynamic. Entering students are among the most qualified in the nation, and outcome measures, including NBEO performance, also rank near the top. The continued implementation of the new curriculum, restructuring of the third-year clinical experience, expansion of the externship program, incorporation of educational technology to improve learning and more detailed monitoring of student clinical experiences will further strengthen the program. The College’s residency program, already one of the largest and most well respected in the nation, will continue to grow. The recent restructuring of the PhD program in vision science, along with higher graduate stipends, are expected to result in lower attrition rates and better placement of graduates; this will need to be carefully monitored. The College’s research program is considerably more robust than it was 10 years ago and continues to grow. Further growth will occur through the recruitment of new investigators, construction of additional research space, establishment of a Clinical Research Center (which will take advantage of the College’s abundance and diversity of patients) and continued participation in the newly-formed, multi- campus SUNY Eye Institute. For the first time in its history, the College has embarked on a major gifts campaign, The Vision and the Promise: The Campaign for SUNY College of Optometry. The reorganization of the Office on Institutional Advancement that is underway and recent recruitment of a new Associate Director of Alumni Relations will support this effort. The College has undertaken international initiatives, recently establishing an Office of International Programs, Confucius Institute, and collaborative program to develop a Center of Excellence in Low Vision and Vision Rehabilitation in Wenzhou, China. International student externship rotations have been put in place and additional such rotations are under development. A number of major construction programs have been approved, and beyond this the College has commenced a facilities master plan (2013-2023). Work on the Campus Center for Student Life and Learning is slated to begin in spring 2011. This initiative, along with the development of a Career Development Center and additional recruitment efforts that are, in part, aimed at further diversifying the College’s student body, will further enhance the attractiveness of the College to potential students.

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