NSUOCO Comes to Broken Arrow

NSUOCO students and faculty, representatives of The Vision Care Institute, and NSU administrators check out the state-of-the-art features of the new Satellite Learning Center at NSUBA.

Dr. Walt West and Dr. George Foster unveil the sign for the Satellite Learning Center at NSUBA.

BROKEN ARROW Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry held a grand opening for the new Satellite Learning Center located in Building C on the Broken Arrow campus.

Next to life itself, Gods most precious gift is vision, said Dr. George Foster, dean of the optometry college. This new facility will more easily allow the university to bring in speakers for our students, and partner with the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University colleges of medicine and CareerTech.

The Vision Care Institute partnered with NSUOCO to provide the facility at NSUBA, the first facility at Broken Arrow designated for optometry students.

NSUOCO has expanded the potential for learning opportunities for our students thanks to the generosity of the Vision Care Institute, said Foster. Our students have traditionally worked in a rural setting, and this new center will allow them to experience eye care in an urban area.

The satellite learning centers provide a direct link between the main campus of The Vision Care Institute in Jacksonville, Fla., and optometry schools, enhancing students experiences with even more information and skills useful for their careers. Educational programming at the satellite centers includes distance-learning programs for first- through fourth-year optometry students, using video conferencing technologies from the Jacksonville headquarters.

It has been a pleasure to work with NSUOCO and help give an idea of the possibilities available through this new venture, said Dr. Walt West, program director for The Vision Care Institute. This facility will augment the quality education that students are already receiving and help students make the transition to practitioner.

Working in tandem with leading optometry schools and colleges since its launch in March 2004, The Vision Care Institute has hosted more than 2,500 students from all 19 of the schools and colleges of optometry throughout North America. Sister facilities of The Vision Care Institute in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Czech Republic offer eye care specialists around the world an opportunity to learn of new developments in the field under the leadership of top contact lens specialists.

Im excited for the opportunities that future students will have to meet with professional optometrists face-to-face in this new facility, said Christopher Wolfe, a fourth-year NSUOCO student and president of the American Optometry Student Association. The NSUOCO has one of the most prestigious faculty in the world, and now other students from around the nation will be able to learn from them.

NSUOCO provides an educational environment conducive to learning, motivates students to make a commitment to life-long learning, and challenges students to contribute to society through community involvement. NSUOCO students experience over 40,000 patient encounters every year. NSUOCO is Oklahomas only college of optometry and one of 17 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

4/1/2008

Published: 2008-04-01 00:00:00