MSCHE/ACOE Self Study

Introduction

Brief Institutional Overview The State University of New York State College of Optometry, founded in 1971 by legislative act, is dedicated to the education of optometrists, to the advancement of eye and vision care through research and graduate education, and to the care of communities through the provision of comprehensive visual health services. The College is a center of excellence within the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is the only institution of its kind in New York State and the surrounding region. The College of Optometry is a doctoral degree granting, research institution with approximately 300 students. Of these, approximately 90% are enrolled in the Doctor of Optometry professional degree program and 10% are pursuing graduate studies through either the Masters or Ph.D. degree programs in vision science. The Professional degree program attracted over 758 applications for 75 seats this past year. The average entrance examination score (the Optometric Admissions Test – Total Science) of 364 for the fall 2009 incoming class was the second highest in the nation (out of 20 schools and colleges of optometry), while the average entering G.P.A. was 3.49. For the fall of 2010, these were 354 and 3.50 respectively. The College of Optometry is one of the 64 campuses which constitute the State’s comprehensive public university system. The campus is contained in a single 300,000 sq. ft., twenty-floor facility (two below ground) located at 33 West 42 nd St. in midtown Manhattan. In addition to its educational, research and student life spaces, the building has five floors dedicated to the University Eye Center (UEC), the College’s patient care unit. The UEC had approximately 73,000 patient visits during the 2010 academic year. In addition to primary eye care, the UEC is well known for its unique clinical services including traumatic brain injury, infant vision, pediatrics, visually-related learning disabilities, children with special needs, vision rehabilitation, ocular disease and special testing, vision therapy, specialty contact lenses and laser refractive surgery. Moreover, there is an extensive array of clinical satellites and extramural programs which further broaden the scope and diversity of the patient population (an additional 60,000+ visits), enhancing the clinical experience of our students and extending our reach to underserved populations. The College’s Graduate Center for Vision Research attracted approximately $3.5M in extramural support for FY 2009-10, with increased funding in each of the last five years. This support includes 14 grants from the National Eye Institute including 12 R01s, 1 R21 and a T-35. The Graduate Center for Vision Research also serves as the home for the College’s graduate research programs with 12 PhD and 28 OD/MS students currently enrolled.

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