I hope you, your family, and friends are staying safe and healthy. Although course adaptations using various modalities of instruction had to be continued for the Fall semester, our faculty and staff have created and provided excellent educational opportunities for our students. As interim dean, I am privileged to serve not only high-caliber faculty but also students. A highlight of this semester was recognizing the 1,034 students who made the Dean’s List. To make this event memorable, the college’s leadership team and I created a congratulatory video and a certificate which was disseminated to the students.

In spite of the current pandemic, faculty and students across disciplines are actively engaged in offering their expertise using multi-educational resources, virtual health care services, and conducting research with diverse populations and community groups. Examples of these have included telehealth, standardized patient care, simulated experiences, face-to-face clinical services, educational sessions, online research, and dissemination of different health related information.

Programmatically, I am elated to share that the School of Nursing had their virtual site visit by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), resulting in the baccalaureate and master’s programs achieving the four quality CCNE standards. Most recently, the master’s program in the Department of Social Work was assessed by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The outcome of the CSWE candidacy—a second of a three year process—was successful, and the program met the second benchmark, a mandated process toward seeking accreditation. Congratulations to everyone for their diligence and efforts!

To meet the strategic goals of the College of Health, we’ve established 10 priorities including a focus on student success, advancement and excellence in healthcare simulation, research excellence, and further evolution of the Interprofessional Community Clinics. In our newsletter, learn more about our interprofessional education and our new social work organization. Our faculty have been recognized as leaders among their disciplines serving on boards, working on research with funded grants, and other accolades.

Please continue to participate in the educational opportunities for our students by being guest presenters, reaching out to professors, and serving as a preceptor or student mentor. We are extremely grateful to our alumni and friends, and we look forward in nurturing and strengthening this relationship. Your support creates additional connections for our students to Fly. Please reach out if you’re interested in being further involved in our student success.

Wishing you Happy Holidays filled with good health and happiness!

Take care and stay healthy,

Jay