SCO News

SCO: 2011 in Review

The end of 2011 allows us the opportunity to look back at some of the significant SCO headlines from throughout the year. Highlights included:

January 2011

• A group of SCO volunteers spend the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by volunteering at KIPP Memphis, a charter school in downtown.
• SCO hosted its third annual State Day event, drawing state and national optometry representatives from nearly a dozen states to meet with students.
• The Eye Center completed an Optical expansion project that added 40 percent more sales floor space.
• Cristie Upshaw Travis, CEO of the Memphis Business Group on Health, joins SCO's Board of Trustees.

February 2011

• The Class of 2012 attend SCO's Second Annual Memphis Laser Workshop, a hands-on program designed to familiarize interns in working with ophthalmic lasers.
• NHL player Bryce Salvadore, visited SCO to be treated for vision changes caused by his hockey play.
• A number of students and alumni attend SCO's Alumni Reception held at the Heart of America meeting in Kansas City.

March 2011

• SCO hosts its second Housing Fair for incoming students and their families.
• SCO enjoys perhaps its biggest attendance ever at its annual reception for alumni and friends at SECO in Atlanta.

April 2011

• Several SCO students attend the 2011 AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C. to meet with elected officials.
• Dr. Joe Ellis, AOA President and a 1986 SCO graduate, visits the SCO campus and meets with the Kentucky Club.
• Drs. Chris Lievens and Glen Steele each appear on TV programs to talk about eye and vision health.

May 2011

• SCO's commencement ceremony sees 119 new optometrists graduating.
• Honorary degrees are awarded to outgoing AOA President Dr. Joe Ellis, Donna Abney and Darlene Eakin.
• SCO's second Capstone program is held for graduating seniors and opens with a Memphis Redbirds game as senior Jimmy Murphy throws out the opening pitch.
• SVOSH and FCO mission trips take student and faculty volunteers to several countries where they provide vision care to thousands of patients.

June 2011

• A group of 36 students, nine staff doctors and several alumni volunteers at the Special Olympics "Opening Eyes" Vision Screening event at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
• SCO participates with Memphis Mayor A C Wharton in kicking off the new Colleges of Memphis event.
• SCO observes flag day with a special ceremony.
• SCO hosts a booth and well-attended alumni reception at the AOA national meeting in Salt Lake City.

July 2011

• SCO's 2011-12 Campaign results are announced; a record 94% of faculty/staff participated, raising more than $64,000 for patient care, scholarships and optometric education.
• Faculty promotions include Drs. Lindsay Elkins, Carrie Lebowitz, Jennifer Jones, John Neal, Zakiya Nicks, Anna Schlesselman, Daniel Taylor, and Marc Taub.
• Newly appointed faculty members include Drs. Michael Dasinger, Kelley Dasinger, Wilson McGriff, Christina Newman and Dr. Pam Schnell.

August 2011

• SCO students and Dr. Janette Dumas attend and participate at the 43rd annual conference of the National Optometric Association in San Diego.
• SCO welcomed 130 new students, selected from 865 applicants.
• SCO's new entering class enjoys the highest GAP on record.

September 2011

• SCO's Community Outreach Program begins partnering with Head Start to provide vision examinations at Delano Head Start in Memphis.
• Dr. Gerald Eisenstatt is named Director of the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence.
• SCO recognizes excellence with the college's 25th annual Convocation ceremony.
• Drs. Al Spivey and Sidney Stern receive SCO's Lifetime Achievement Award, while Dr. Chris Wroten is honored with the Young Alumni Award.

October 2011

• SCO volunteers participate in events for World Sight Day, VisionWalk, Ride for Your Mind, and Race for the Cure.
• A number of alumni and faculty are honored or participate at the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Boston.
• The Eye Center at SCO hosts its annual Halloween event for families.

November 2011

• Work is completed on The Eye Center's new Advanced Procedure Theater and Digital Observatory.
• SCO hosts nearly 80 clinic chiefs and administrators from North America's optometry colleges.
• SCO hosts Sports Vision University, a four-hour, COPE-approved continuing education event.

December 2011

• A visit by Santa Claus to The Eye Center and SCO campus is photographed and covered by ABC News and a number of national publications.
• An article in Delta's December Sky Magazine notes that SCO is one of the nation's leading optometry colleges. The coverage caps a number of articles over the preceding month covering SCO's advances in technology, community outreach and The Eye Center's new Advanced Procedure Theater and Digital Observatory.

(For a more thorough look at 2011 in review, be sure to visit SCO’s Facebook page with many more updates. You don’t have to be a Facebook member to see SCO’s posts.)

Please note: SCO will be closed for the holidays from December 22-January 4. The entire SCO community wishes you health and happiness in the New Year.

This year brought a number of opportunities for SCO’s students, faculty and staff to serve others. In this season of goodwill toward others, SCO invites you to take a look back at some of our work in 2011. On behalf of the entire SCO community, Happy Holidays!

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A group of SCO students and doctors recently traveled to Henderson, Tennessee for a weekend Remote Area Medical (RAM) trip. The group saw more than 420 patients and prescribed more than 460 pairs of glasses during their visit.

Participants included Drs. Tressa Eubank, Lindsey Elkins and Richard Savoy, as well as Adrienne Pak, Sarah Thompson, Truc Ly Nguyen, Emma Bercea, Van Vo, Addison DiMartino, Andrew Bibo, Canaan Montgomery, Molly Camerer, and RAM Coordinator Amanda Phelps.

The Memphis Daily News recently published a very positive feature story about SCO's commitment to raising the bar. The story focuses on the college's incorporation of technology into academic and clinical education, as well as SCO's dedication to giving back to the community.

Dr. Richard W. Phillips, SCO's President, and Dr. Steven Reed, Board of Trustees member, were interviewed for the story.

SCO students and several faculty members were among those receiving recognition at the October annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry in Boston.

Dr. Glen Steele, SCO Professor, received the Willian Feinbloom Award for his role in the creation and leadership of the AOA's InfantSEE Program. Read more in this Alumni News blog post.

SCO fourth-year Truc Ly Nguyen, '12, received the  Zeiss Fellowship Award. She's pictured with last year's recipient, Dr. Matt Willis, OD, a 2011 SCO graduate, and SCO's President, Dr. Richard W. Phillips.

Another student, Ellen Elmore ‘13, received the Antoinette Molinari Scholarship for 2011 from American Optometric Foundation.

Two members of SCO's faculty became Academy Fellows:  Drs. Lindsay Elkins and Chris Lievens. Several alumni also received their Academy Fellowship.

Congratulations to all for their accomplishments and achievements.