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In January 2014 I was part of a group of individuals who travelled to Columbia, Missouri to be part of a decision regarding the construction of a new clinic for the College of Optometry. With six of our students riding along, the excitement of a pending decision filled the car. A little nervousness could also be felt as the decision could go one of three ways: approval for the clinic, rejection of the clinic, or the proposal could be put on hold for a later time.
Sitting in the meeting the waiting for the item to be discussed loomed—then the discussion came—and moments during the discussion you could feel the decision going one of two ways, either approving or holding the proposal until April 2014. We all sat in our seats; many of us on the edge of the seat waiting for the decision.
The vote came and it was unanimously approved by the Board of Curators. The new clinic was no longer a dream, but a reality.
As the leg work took years to reach this historic day, the one thing that leaves a lasting impression on me is the role the students, some of which will never get to use the clinic as part of their studies put forth to help achieve the goal of a new clinic. The students voted to take on some of the financial responsibility of building the new facility . . . by astounding numbers.
In all my years of education, I have watched students take pride in collegiate sports, but this is the first time I can recall an overwhelming support for a facility. The students exhibited a sense of pride in an educational institution and a dream of making it better for future generations of optometry students.
I am proud of the student body for taking it upon themselves to incur additional fees for a brighter future for their educational institution. Regardless of how the vote went that day at the Board of Curators meeting, it would not have impacted the sense of pride I witnessed in the 12 students sitting in the room watching the decision be made regarding an integral part of a brighter future for the College of Optometry.
One of the board members said it best when he said, “How can I say no to this when I have so many eyes looking at me; today I appreciate my optometrist a bit more.” I think this gentleman hit a home run when he said that, simply because the students, who will incur some of the cost, recognized it was more about pride in your institution rather than the monetary expense they will incur, and the legacy they will leave behind for others to experience.