Winter 2008 Chair's Update

Ida Critelli Schick
Professor and Chair/Director

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this fall, our students, faculty and staff are grateful for the many blessings given to the graduate program in health services administration throughout the past few months.

First among these blessings is our 50th anniversary, celebrated with several outstanding events that met and exceeded our expectations. We are especially thankful for the generosity of our donors, whose unwavering support has helped us progress and excel as a program. Please read about the celebrations in our feature article and enjoy the photos of this exciting day.

Second, we thank two invaluable contributors: the advisory board for establishing an annual scholarship, and the Albers Foundation for a three-year $54,000 grant for student scholarships. These gifts will help us to expand our reach and to attract highly qualified students.

Third, we were proud to hear Terry White, Class of 1966 and executive-in-residence, announce the initiation of our $10 million capital fund drive. The response to date has been enthusiastic.

Finally, we are happy to be joined by a new group of 29 full-time and 13 part-time students. Please read about these students and their excellent community service in this edition of the newsletter.

Looking ahead, our focus turns to accreditation. This academic year (2008-2009) is the program's self-study year. Over the past few years, the faculty has developed domains and related competencies for both coursework and residency. We have included these in our syllabi and guidelines for residency and master project. Of course, the proof for the program is in the outcomes—the success of students in the classroom and in residency and the success of our graduates at all stages of their careers. So, over the next few months, we will be contacting alumni to better understand how our program has benefited their careers.

As another busy year begins, I look forward to meeting you and working with you.