MSCHE Self Study April 2021

Service Providers ). A List of Mental Health Resources offered by the College is available on the College’s website. Food Pantry In an effort to provide confidential access to free food for SUNY Optometry students who experience food insecurity, the College established a partnership with Guttman Community College (GCC) to offer our students access to GCC’s food pantry. GCC is conveniently located across Bryant Park (50 West 40th Street). SUNY Optometry students wishing to visit the food pantry must make an appointment in advance with Single Stop office staff. There are no limits on the number of visits a SUNY Optometry student may make to the food pantry, nor any questions asked regarding a student’s need for food Career Placement Assistance The Career Development Center (CDC), established in 2012 as a priority of the 2008 – 2013 Strategic Plan, was created to meet the career needs of SUNY Optometry students, residents and alumni. Through events such as the Family of Mentors Program (FMP) and the annual SUNY Optometry Career Symposium , the CDC creates opportunities for students and professionals to connect and create meaningful relationships important to career development and career advancement. Many individualized services are available, including career counseling to help improving interviewing and resume writing skills. In addition to the Career Symposium, the CDC also presents an all ‐ day career development workshop to residents in the spring of each year. Topics include job search for residents, contract negotiation and networking. The mission of FMP is to connect optometry students and residents with mentors to support relationships that develop students and residents personally, academically and professionally and to foster professional networks. FMP capitalizes on the large network of SUNY alumni, professional organizations and partners from which to recruit the most talented mentors. We have been able to tap into the substantial SUNY Optometry network by partnering with the Office of Alumni Affairs and utilizing the services of Graduway which powers the SUNY Eye Network, an online alumni platform that allows anyone in our network to filter users by parameters such as residencies, mode of practice, and location. SUNY Eye Network was launched at the end of 2017 and has grown steadily since. Last year we saw a 22% increase in users bring us to just over 1,000 users as of January 2020. Through the network, we identified that 69% of our alumni members are willing to volunteer as mentors and/or assist with professional development for our students and residents providing valuable connections for our community. Students and residents can access the portal and check its directory to look for mentors. As part of the third ‐ year professional curriculum, students are required to pass a practice management course ( Optometric Practice in a Changing Health Care Environment ) that provides information on private and group practice, practice as an independent contractor, employment

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