Message from the Dean

It is with a great deal of pleasure and no small measure of relief that I say, “The College of Applied Health Sciences is up and running and stronger than ever!” After a few unusual and challenging semesters of fully online instruction, hybrid instruction, truncated schedules, and a skeleton staff, we are operating at full strength and looking forward to a semester full of activities. Yes, we are taking precautions to ensure that we can complete the semester on campus and host all of our normal events. The University is requiring everyone on campus to be vaccinated if they are able. Those who are not able to be vaccinated are required to take part in the University testing program. Masks must be worn in all University buildings, and Wellness Support Associates are checking building access permissions at entrances across campus. We are determined to make this a full and successful semester. From my journeys around campus, it seems that faculty, staff, and students are adapting cheerfully to the requirements, happy to be closer to “business as usual” than we have been in more than a year.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our alumni and friends for your ongoing support of AHS through difficult times. Many of you stepped up to the plate when it seemed that COVID was going to shut the game down completely, and made it possible for our students to continue to have meaningful, real-world experiences that complemented their coursework. You reached out to and connected with our students virtually in classes, internships and external placements, and symposiums, sharing your time and expertise so generously, and we are deeply grateful.

I’d also like to recognize our faculty and staff for their commitment to maintaining the excellence of our programs and our student services. And to our students, I say thank you. Without question, we could not have survived this crisis without your perseverance, your resiliency, your dedication to your studies, and your belief in this college. For those of you who are continuing your studies this year, welcome back. I wish you a productive and successful academic year.

As we embark upon a new academic year, I am happy to report that we have welcomed a large and possibly record-setting cohort of new students to our programs in community health, interdisciplinary health sciences, kinesiology, speech and hearing science, and recreation, sport, and tourism management. We also have two new faculty members in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health. In October, we will be dedicating the McKechnie Family LIFE Home, a research facility that is dedicated to developing and enhancing technologies that will be critical to allowing older adults and individuals with disabilities to maintain their independent living arrangements. We also will celebrate three of our outstanding alumni during Homecoming week, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, our Homecoming tent party will be back! Stay tuned for more information on those events.

I have said this before and I will say it again: I feel so honored and so fortunate to lead this incredible college. It is a privilege to work with an innovative faculty whose interdisciplinary research brings them and the college international renown. It is a joy to oversee a staff that gives its all to make our faculty and students successful. And it gives me a great deal of pride to see our students grow into skilled and caring professionals who are changing the world as members of our truly exemplary alumni family. Thank you all for your support.

Back to the September 2021 AHS E-News