The program demonstrates mission fulfillment through the following goals and objectives in the areas of Teaching and Learning, Research or Scholarly Activities, Patient Care, and Service, as outlined below.

TEACHING & LEARNING

GOAL A: To deliver an innovative, application-based, educational program within a supportive learning culture that provides opportunities to integrate knowledge, solve problems, think critically, and enable graduates to possess entry level standards for the practice of optometric medicine.

• Recruit, develop, retain, and graduate a diverse student body.
• Demonstrate that the program is training graduates who meet the entry-level requirements for the optometry profession.
• Establish a culture of engagement with students, faculty, staff, and alumni that informs curricular and co-curricular programming.
• Develop leaders in optometry with advanced practice knowledge and skills equipped to handle the challenges of practicing optometric medicine in the face of ever-expanding practice of optometry.
• Prepare graduates to deliver humanistic and competent optometric care with diverse cultures, experiences, and practice settings.
• Support opportunities for interprofessional learning and clinical care.
• Empower students to become digitally literate clinicians, who are proficient in applying information technologies and collaborative networking skills to improve patient care.
• Foster a culture of life-long learning and educational curiosity.

GOAL B:  To recruit, develop, and retain highly qualified diverse administrators, faculty, and staff.

• Enhance faculty awareness of the best practices in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and prepare them to become engaged, successful instructors.
• Encourage and support life-long learning and development opportunities that cultivate leadership, service, and scholarship activities.
• Provide clinical staff opportunities for training in topics related to the practice of optometry.
• Support professional growth and opportunities to collaborate as a community.

RESEARCH OR SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY

GOAL C: To foster a commitment to and ability for engaging in research and scholarly activity that align with the goals of the Optometry program.

• Facilitate, support, and pursue ethical and impactful research and scholarly activity that engages students and faculty.
• Support interdisciplinary collaborative and mentoring relationships for research and scholarly activity with other health care programs and other institutions.
• Provide mentoring and training for students in research methods to apply evidence-based medicine in clinical decision making while inclusive of patient cultures and preferences.

PATIENT CARE

GOAL D: To provide patient-centered, sensitive, and compassionate comprehensive eye care that promotes timely access to needed optometric services, follows best practices, and incorporates each patient’s preferences and treatment priorities.

• Incorporate the application of evidence-based medicine into the delivery of care.
• Foster compassionate treatment of patients, and respect for their privacy and dignity.
• Uphold honesty and integrity in all interactions.
• Support a culturally-sensitive environment in the delivery of patient care.

SERVICE

GOAL E: To foster a servant leadership spirit in students, faculty, and staff that underscores the value of service for indigent and under-served populations.

• Facilitate supportive and productive relationships within the University, College, profession, and surrounding community.
• Engage other healthcare and associated professionals on relevant topics with the goal of collaboration to enhance care.
• Advocate for equity and access to healthcare for indigent and under-served populations.
• Develop service experiences that promote awareness and better understanding of the needs of communities they serve