Salus Weekly Update - 8 March 2024

Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Greetings from our Elkins Park campus on this crisp Friday morning!  We end this week with the news of yet another shooting injuring youth in Philadelphia.  Several of us were at a meeting with Mayor Cherelle Parker, last evening, who had just come from the shooting scene.  She was visibly shaken by the event and shared her concerns about the wellbeing and safety of everyone involved in the shootings, as well as her determination to stop these horrible events.  Please keep those who were wounded and injured as a result of this mass shooting in your thoughts and prayers.  On a more uplifting note, our geese are back and are staking out their territory.  Check out the photo below.  Here are some other items I hope you will find interesting:

WHY SALUS OT: The Salus University approach to Occupational Therapy (OT) education is to provide a distinctive and innovative program for the academic and clinical preparation of a master’s degree, advanced specialty certificate, and doctoral degree. We recently surveyed current OT students and asked why they chose Salus to further their education and prepare themselves for their careers. Click here to read what they had to say.

SAG DEADLINE EXTENDED: The nomination deadline for the Salus Awards Gala (SAG) has been extended to April 1. Please take the time to make your nominations and recognize those who have made your experience at Salus memorable! If you have already made your nominations, please encourage your classmates and faculty members to do the same. Nominate Faculty here! Nominate Classmates and Student Organizations here. There are also QR codes around campus that will lead you to the nomination forms.

COMPUTER HISTORY:  In the early 1980s, Drexel became the first university in the country to require all students to have a personal computer, a mandate made possible through a first-of-its kind partnership with Apple Inc. It was a first within higher education that earned Drexel a national reputation as a bold and technologically advanced institution. Click here to read more. 

FINAL THOUGHTS:   This week we held one of many Salus community meetings to keep everyone apprised of recent developments relating to our upcoming merger with Drexel University.  To say that I’m excited about this partnership of two great institutions is an understatement.   In my opinion, the opportunities that will be afforded our students, faculty, staff and alumni are unlimited. While I see all of the positives in this, I also recognize and understand the uncertainty and fear that our faculty and staff may be feeling as this major change affects you and your families.  

As promised and to support your consideration of Drexel’s healthcare plans, Human Resources has arranged multiple sessions beginning Tuesday to review your current healthcare benefits and the wide array of options at Drexel.  We will host as many sessions as needed to ensure you have an opportunity to compare plans ahead of benefit selection in May.

As we have said in multiple meetings, not everything will be the same.  We strongly encourage you to explore what’s available on Drexel’s Benefits webpage: https://drexel.edu/hr/benefits/overview/.  In addition, we have shared on our ADP portal two integration updates addressing dozens of questions received from faculty and staff. We also continue to work with Drexel’s HR team to provide as much information to you as possible as soon as it is available. You can keep abreast of updates on the integration website: https://drexel.edu/about/salus. This site will be updated regularly.

Very few people like change, but in today’s higher education ecosystem and post-pandemic environment, academic institutions that do not actively embrace change are doomed to mediocrity, and at worse, failure. 

As I have shared with you previously, there is abundant wisdom in the teachings of the great Roman Stoics, especially as they discuss embracing change.  In their teachings, they note that “change is unavoidable.”  Marcus Aurelius wrote that “Change is nature’s delight”.  He further states, “Frightened of change? But what can exist without it? Can any vital process take place without something being changed?” 

As we look to the future, the changes we are embarking on are essential to enhance and expand the Salus student experience and to ensure the sustainability of all our world-class programs through perpetuity.  I’m not suggesting it’s going to be easy – it’s not – but I can guarantee, if embraced in a positive way, it will be exciting and fruitful.  We are working to make the transition as seamless as possible for everyone involved.

For our faculty and staff, as you prepare for the weekend, try and review your current benefits on the ADP website so you can have a productive discussion when you participate in the HR sessions scheduled in the upcoming days and weeks.

For our students, please know that the Office of the Provost, along with our deans, program directors and faculty are actively exploring with Drexel colleagues all available opportunities to enhance the educational experiences of current and future students. This is a major driver of the “why” for our merger. For students preparing for boards, I wish you productive studying and the very best of luck (which you won’t need, since you know your stuff)!

Don’t forget: this Sunday our clocks “spring forward” with the change with daylight savings time at 2 am. If possible, adjust your activities to compensate for the lost hour of sleep.  As always, please continue to look out for one another, try to get outside, enjoy some fresh air, and come back Monday SALUS STRONG!