MSCHE/ACOE Self Study

Summary of Key Institutional Changes and Developments: 1) The most significant change for the College has been within the leadership team. In December 2005, Dr. Alden N. Haffner retired as President of the SUNY College of Optometry. Dr. Haffner served as President on two occasions, for a total of 26 years, with the most recent tenure beginning in 1988. The transition period lasted 18 months, concluding with the appointment of Dr. David A. Heath as the College’s 3 rd President in March, 2007. The College’s College Council under the leadership of Gretchen Stone, Chair, led the search process. 2) The transition of leadership continued after Dr. Heath’s assumption of duties with his appointment of a permanent Vice-President for Clinical Affairs (Dr. Richard Soden – September 2007), a new Vice-President and Dean for Academic Affairs (Dr. David Troilo – July 2008) and most recently a new Vice- President for Student Affairs (Dr. Jeffrey Philpott – July 2010). Thus, four of six senior managers are new to their positions within the last four years. 3) During the 2008 AY, the College engaged in a community-wide strategic planning process. The strategic plan , “A Shared Vision” , was approved September 24, 2008. The strategic planning process placed a renewed emphasis on institutional assessment and ongoing program review. 4) The administration and faculty collaboratively reviewed the College’s faculty governance and committee structure, with a new structure in effect beginning with the 2009 AY. The goals were to improve effectiveness and efficiency and to elevate the importance of shared-governance, while increasing transparency and communication. 5) Capping a four-year process, the College Faculty completed a comprehensive review of the professional degree curriculum with a new curriculum introduced with the fall 2008 incoming class. Core features include a change from a quarter to a semester calendar, decreased lecture time, increased small group learning, and an emphasis on the integration of basic and clinical sciences through team-teaching and the introduction of year-long integrative seminars. The graduate faculty also completed a comprehensive review of the graduate research program. All changes were approved by the NYS Department of Education and SUNY System Administration. 6) The institution has expanded its commitment to international programs, supporting the international aspirations of the State University system and reflecting a global agenda for the future of the College of Optometry. The College recently opened its Office for International Programs (July 2010) and is very active in China. In the fall of 2010, the College became a sight for a Confucius Institute supported by the Chinese Government. 7) The College has been successful in obtaining capital improvement funding procuring $36.3 M in support for the period of 2008 – 2013. While significant support has been obtained for critical maintenance, (building control systems, elevator renovations, fire alarm systems, etc.), strategic initiatives have also

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