2015_Annual_Report

5 Like any institution, we understand that our value is largely measured by the impact that we make in our community and beyond. This important message has been reinforced recently by the State University of New York Board of Trustees and Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and her administration who have identified five key areas that SUNY will use its collective strength to address over the course of the next five years as part of the system’s strategic plan, the Power of SUNY 2020 . They include: • Increasing access to SUNY institutions across all segments of the population. • Helping students focus on the completion of their educational programs. • Aiding students in the achievement of post-graduate success. • Promoting inquiry , or faculty and student scholarship, across the SUNY system. • Working towardgreater social and economic engagement with each institution’s community. The SUNY College of Optometry is an enthusiastic supporter of this process and our own current strategic plan, Creating a Legacy of Leadership , aligns well with the performance improvement plan, known as SUNY Excels, that the University has created to measure the success of the Power of SUNY 2020 going forward. From our enrollment management plan that carefully dovetails a workforce analysis assessing the future need for eye care in New York State; to our commitment to providing resources that help our students and alumni achieve success in their careers; to our drive to increase our impact through collaborative research across the SUNY system; to our investment in technology that will improve and enhance the learning environment of our students; to the exceptional care that we provide to tens of thousands of New Yorkers each year. As we work to do our part in support of this critical system-wide initiative, SUNY Optometry is also helping to solidify our own position as a leader for generations to come. Our community-wide efforts are building on our legacy of achievement in training leaders in health care, advancing the knowledge and understanding of vision science, driving improvements in patient care delivery and providing exceptional care for increasing numbers of people across our community. This report not only measures the progress that we have made over the past year, it also addresses many of the key issues and challenges that we face in that journey. You can learn more about our SUNY Excels campus Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) in this report, or visit www.sunyopt.edu/pip Thank you for your continued support over the past year. L E T T E R F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T David A. Heath, OD, EdM President