The Michigan College of Optometry prepares doctoral and post-doctoral students for successful
careers as optometric health care providers serving patients and society with integrity
and professionalism. The program serves the health care needs of the public through
its research, scholarly activity, evidence-based clinical education, and patient-centered
care.
Goals and Objectives
Goals
Objectives
1. 1 Optimize the instructional and clinical service environment.
1. Review, update and optimize the clinical and instructional curriculum.
2. Modernize clinical and instructional technology to facilitate the delivery of effective
student education and patient care.
3. Recruit, support, and maintain the development of faculty to create an intellectual
environment that encourages innovative and high-quality learning experiences.
1.2 Attract and admit high-aptitude prospective students.
1. Prioritize high-aptitude, on-campus Pre-Optometry student advising, recruiting,
and admissions.
2. Emphasize high-aptitude, off-campus Pre-Optometry student advising, recruiting,
and admissions.
3. Incentivize high-aptitude, Pre-Optometry students with attractive and competitive
financial and non-financial motivators.
2.1 Promote, expand, and advance the institutional impact of MCO.
1. Establish an MCO clinical presence that extends beyond Big Rapids, MI
2. Collaborate with state, national, and international organizations to support advancement
of the optometric profession.
2.2 Improve health outcomes for individuals and communities.
1. Develop a continuous quality improvement process for patient care outcomes at UEC
and affiliated clinical sites.
2. Evaluate opportunities to enhance subspecialties and scop of practice at MCO/UEC.
3. Develop opportunities for community outreach to increase public awareness around
eye health.
4. Promote extracurricular and co-curricular activities that foster awareness and
participation in community health and wellness.
3.1 Develop strategies that support and facilitate individual and collaborative research
and scholarly activities at MCO.
1. Improve training and awareness among faculty and students regarding research, scholarship,
and funding opportunities.
2. Promote faculty involvement in MCO curricular and co-curricular research and scholarship
activities.
3. Build a research fund of a least $20,000 that can be utilized by faculty for research
and scholarly activities.
4.1 Develop a process for identifying, developing, analyzing, and utilizing Key Indicators
to assess the effectiveness of the program in meeting its mission and strategic plan.
1. Determine specific key indicators of program and strategic plan effectiveness involving
stakeholders.
2. Measure and analyze performance of key indicators through systematic methods involving
stakeholders.
4.2 Ensure processes of programmatic decision-making and prioritization of resources
are aligned with the strategic plan.
1. Adopt systems and procedures that promote decisions regarding program operations,
development of policies and implementation of initiatives are germane to the program's
mission and strategic plan.
2. Demonstrate and communicate success through regular reporting of the program's
performance on key indicators to internal and external stakeholders.
Goal 1 Objective & Initiative Details
Action items/initiatives
a. The curriculum committee will review the existing curriculum and develop a draft
for a curriculum update.
b. The curriculum committee will request each curriculum tract to provide updates
and proposed changes on a rolling basis (every 3 years), beginning after the implementation
of the updated curriculum.
c. The curriculum committee will investigate recommendations from various stakeholders
as outlined in the committee charge outside of the annual review of the curriculum
to ensure that the curriculum remains relevant and efficacious.
Action items/initiatives
a. Establish and implement a policy to evaluate the current clinical and instructional
technological capabilities and needs within MCO.
b. Update the computers, microphones, projectors, and technology control panels in
the teaching, conference, and study areas within MCO.
c. Replace all 59 exam lanes of equipment before they are 15 years old.
d. Service 15 exam lanes of equipment (e.g. slit lamps, clean phoropters, align wire/cable
clutter, exam chair) each year for general maintenance.
e. Earmark at least $10 000 to ensure clinical and instructional technologies are
upgraded annually.
Action items/initiatives
a. Provide all new faculty members with an on-boarding process to be completed within
the first three months of their start date.
b. Implement a dedicated time for all faculty members to attend training or educational
in-house seminars once per month (minimum 9 times per year).
c. Analyze faculty salaries compared to national peers for recruitment purposes and
to inform FSU when considering base salaries.
Action items/initiatives
a. Support and collaborate with the FSU Pre-Optometry Club, Honors Program, and Pre-Health
Advisor.
b. Include financial discussions with prospective students as part of the interview
process.
Action items/initiatives
a. Establish funding for an optometrist, support staff, and resources to equip competitive
off-campus student recruitment.
b. Develop and implement an off-campus Pre-Optometry student recruitment plan.
Action items/initiatives
a. Establish 4 endowed MCO full tuition waivers for student recruitment.
b. Continue to incentivize Pre-Optometry students at FSU by extending already awarded
WNF (Woodbridge N. Ferris) and Transfer Student grants throughout graduate studies
at FSU.
Goal 2 Objective & Initiative Details
Action items/initiatives
a. Perform a needs analysis for external clinical opportunities.
b. Create a framework for evaluation of external clinical opportunities and use it
to evaluate them as they arise.
c. Develop an implementation plan for each viable opportunity.
Action items/initiatives
a. Perform a strategic analysis of opportunities for engagement in state, national,
international optometric organizations.
b. Identify barriers with faculty regarding involvement and participation in professional
organizations.
c. Reduce barriers to faculty involvement with professional organizations and participation
in professional development.
Action items/initiatives
a. Evaluate current data/processes to identify gaps and/or opportunities in patient
care outcomes.
b. Assemble performance improvement teams best suited to evaluate each outcome gap
and/or opportunity.
c. Develop and implement a performance improvement plan and monitor progress.
Action items/initiatives
a. Identify existing sub-specialty experiences within the current curriculum and the number of associated student encounters.
b. Evaluate and update tracking mechanisms for patient encounters to accurately reflect
sub-specialty experiences.
c. Develop a communication plan to inform and promote the level of sub-specialty
care to the optometry and healthcare communities.
Action items/initiatives
a. Identify current eye health public awareness outreach activities.
b. Identify and evaluate impactful methods of community outreach delivery.
c. Develop a calendar of outreach activities and appropriate communication/marketing
tools.
Action items/initiatives
a. Report and measure the extent to which the Developing as a Professional Optometrist
Canvas course promotes community health and wellness within the professional program.
b. Develop and implement an internal and external marketing plan to promote awareness
of MCO involvement in community health and wellness activities to stakeholders.
c. Schedule time for interprofessional events, workshops, and other special events
that enhance community health and wellness.
Goal 3 Objective & Initiative Details
Action items/initiatives
a. Plan once-a-semester presentations/seminars geared towards faculty training in
research and funding opportunities.
b. Identify and disseminate research interests and activities of MCO faculty to facilitate
intra and inter-institutional collaborations.
Action items/initiatives
a. Achieve 90% participation by faculty in the Graduate Research Projects within
5-years.
b. Enhance faculty and student participation in co-curricular research and scholarship
activities.
Action items/initiatives
a. Identify research areas in vision and eye care for which there are funding opportunities.
b. Obtain research funding from 5 industry partners and/or alumni donors.
Goal 4 Objective & Initiative Details
Action items/initiatives
a. Compile a list of Key Indicators by surveying other Professional Optometric Degree
programs, published goals for health professions, etc.
b. Develop a rubric to evaluate the validity of each Key Indicator as a measure of
program and strategic plan effectiveness.
c. Develop a schedule and procedure to collect information regularly from MCO stakeholders
to determine appropriateness of Key Indicators.
d. Compile and share a report that demonstrates DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion)
practices as one of the key indicators of program and strategic plan effectiveness.
Action items/initiatives
a. Determine quantifiable benchmarks for each Key Indicator.
b. Develop procedures and a regular schedule to collect and analyze internal programmatic
outcomes.
c. Develop procedures and a regular schedule to collect information from MCO external
stakeholders to analyze MCO performance on the Key Indicators.
d. Meet with related Stakeholders to address areas of deficiency or concern and obtain
recommendations for improvement.
Action items/initiatives
a. Incorporate reporting of progress towards completion of Action Items into the
FAD Meeting Agendas.
b. Develop a comprehensive MCO assessment plan that incorporates all Key Indicators.
c. Update MCO Strategic Plan to address outcomes of the assessment plan of Key Indicators.
Action items/initiatives
a. Develop a Dashboard of Key Indicators of the Program’s performance available to
Internal Stakeholders in a secure location.
b. Develop and share a list of Key Indicators that should be shared with specific
external Stakeholders.
c. Develop a calendar delineating reports and times for distribution of Key Indicator
data.
Mission