In the history of the College of Optometry, January 31, 2014 will likely be remembered – with the notable date in the late 1970s when the College was first approved by the state legislature - as the most important date in the history of this institution. On that date the Curators of the University of Missouri system approved the building of a $17 million dollar Patient Care Center to be located directly north of the current facility on Natural Bridge Road (site of the old Normandy Hospital). All optometry services currently provided within Marillac Hall will be relocated into this 48,000 square foot facility which is scheduled to open during the summer of 2016. About 13,000 square feet in this facility will be leasable for possible partnership opportunities that will offer complementary health care services.
The fact that this long-needed and long-awaited facility became a reality was the result of a collaborative effort between College of Optometry students and Dean Larry Davis. Dean Davis developed a very creative plan that involved having saved a total of $5 million dollars which was available in a College of Optometry reserve fund and would be supplemented by $12 million in debt financing. Funding the annual debt service over the next 30 years will be primarily from two sources: 1) internal reallocations primarily derived from not filling two vacant faculty positions, and 2) a supplemental student fee.
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Optometry students and administrators photographed at the Curators of the University of Missouri System meeting immediately after the vote are (from left): Assistant Dean Ed Bennett, Nick Zahn (’17), Mike Roberts (’17), Ellen Sanders (’17), Devin Sasser (’15), UM-System President Tim Wolfe, Nicole Ethridge (’16), Amanda Rickher (’16), Laurie Thompson (’16), Yousef Ibrahim (’17), Ethan Brilley (’17), Katie Loock (’17), Kelsey Haugen (’17), Jenna Osseck (’15), Dean Larry Davis, and UMSL Chancellor Thomas George |
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Right after the vote UMSL representatives who attended this historic occasion included: Front row (from left): Dean Larry Davis, Program Director Nick Palisch, Assistant Dean Ed Bennett, Jenna Osseck (’15) and Nicole Ethridge (’16) Second Row: Laurie Thompson (’16), Kelsey Haugen (’17), and Katie Loock (’17) Third Row: Yousef Ibrahim (’17), Amanda Rickher (’16), and Ellen Sanders (’17) Top Row: Nick Zahn (’17), Ethan Brilley (’17), Mike Roberts (’17), and Devin Sasser (’15) |
Of course there was never any doubt as to the critical need for a new building. As many of the colleges of optometry had recently built new facilities (i.e., Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Indiana University, and the Michigan College of Optometry) it was becoming increasingly challenging to attract most of the highest qualified applicants in the region. In fact, the number of comments received from applicants - who were admitted but declined our offer and responded to our non-matriculating survey - pertaining to facilities as the primary reason they did not accept our of admission had increased greatly in recent years. No one noticed this more than very active student ambassadors such as Nick Zahn (’17). "As a first year student, I didn't have much exposure to the University Eye Center, so my knowledge of its conditions were limited. However, through my work as a student ambassador, I came to see the necessity for a new clinic, particularly since the most common criticism by interviewing applicants was the state of our clinic compared to other top optometry programs. Following the decision by the UM System Board of Curators to confirm our building proposal, the prospects of our Optometry program are bright. To be present with my classmates at the inception of this project is certainly a memory I will not soon forget, and I look forward to what the future holds for UMSL Optometry."
As Sir Paul McCartney would say, the road to a new building was a very long and winding one. Built in 1955 as a dormitory for nuns associated with the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, when students first inhabited Marillac Hall in 1980, it was with the understanding that it – would serve as a short-term clinic and instructional facility. It was evident by the 1990s that the facilities – especially the University Eye Center – were aging and did not provide the environment necessary for a center of excellence in health care education. In the first decade of the 21st century many efforts were made to appropriate funding through the University and the legislature for a new building without success. Finally, in 2008 during the 94th General Assembly (HB 2023), $300,000 was appropriated for the purpose of planning and design of a new combined Nursing and Optometry building to be located on Natural Bridge where the Normandy Hospital had been located. UMSL had purchased this facility – which was no longer in use – in 2001 and later cleared the site in preparation for future development. Once again, however, although the proposal to house Nursing and Optometry within one building was among the highest priorities for new facility requests, it was a very expensive plan and multiple statewide bonding proposals failed to obtain the support of the Missouri General Assembly.
So how did a new building to be operated by the College of Optometry and serve as the Patient Care Center come about? After all of the rejections for a combined facility, Dean Larry Davis proposed a “Phase One” facility (Phase Two pertaining to the entire optometry program and Phase Three pertaining to adding the College of Nursing) which would be the aforementioned $17 million dollar facility. The College budget and planning committee, during their August, 2013 meeting, was very receptive to this proposal, it was then approved by the students in October. Chancellor Tom George and his team including Vice Chancellor Jim Krueger provided untiring support for each step in the process, including the timely presentation to the Board of Curators during their meeting in November. However, two large hurdles remained. First was the support and approval of two important UMSL committees, neither of which was guaranteed. On January 17, 2014, members of the University Assembly Physical Facilities, Space, and General Services Committee extended their support for the building and its campus operating support. Five days later the University Assembly Budget and Planning Committee members were provided with information regarding UMSL’s current and projected Facilities Condition Needs Index and those of the other UM campuses as well as information about UM System’s bond ratings and the fact there is limited debt capacity. After all information was presented and a lengthy discussion, the committee endorsed the proposed building and internal reallocations needed for its operating costs.
The final hurdle was the January 31st meeting of the University of Missouri System Board of Curators. The College administrators, staff, and students present at the meeting in Columbia would all agree that there were many anxious moments during this lengthy discussion as the concern about the debt capacity and possibly postponing a decision for this proposal until April were legitimate concerns that were raised. Ultimately, Chancellor Thomas George and the Board members complimented Dean Davis on his creative plan and it was unanimously approved. The significance was not lost on those in attendance as it represented the culmination of many years of failed attempts to provide our students and our patients a facility they would be worthy of and the smiles on our faces as we posed for photographs to honor this seminal moment in the College’s history were very genuine.
It could not have happened without the support of our students. After Dean Davis received the internal support of the College’s Budget and Planning Committee in August his next major hurdle was to gain student approval . . . not just majority approval . . . but an overwhelming approval. This was no easy task as approximately 45% of the debt would be paid via a new student fee. He first met with student leaders last September in order to hear their suggestions on both how to implement this fee as well as how to present it to the entire student body. It was agreed that if the proposal is passed by the UM system, a $450 fee per semester would be assessed during the 2014-15 academic school year and a $900 fee per semester beginning in 2015-16. The student leaders were overwhelmingly in support of this fee, often citing if we do not have a new clinic facility within 10 years they should simply close the College of Optometry. Dean Davis then met with the entire student body to propose the building and the resultant student fee. As the fee would only impact the first, second, and third year students, the vote in early October included only those students who would have to “pay it forward” via being impacted by the student fee. An incredible 99% of the students voted with 79% voting in favor of the student fee and, therefore, in favor of significantly enhancing the clinical care provided to those who will follow them in the program. No student leader had more impact than Laurie Thompson(’16) who met with both the Chancellor and the Chair of the Board of Curators Finance Committee and spoke on behalf of the students at the UMSL Board of Curators Meeting in November. She was then interviewed and featured in an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Like most of the current students she will never have the opportunity to examine patients in the new facility but she recognized how important it would be for the future of the program. “The approval of the new clinic building is a huge stepping stone for the UMSL College of Optometry. It demonstrates the commitment that the current students have to the future of our school and our profession. I have been asked many times why I am so passionate about the new clinic since it will cost me financially and yet I will not be here when it is completed. My response is always the same. If everyone deflects the responsibility of getting things started to someone else, nothing ever happens. Someone had to take the first step and I am very proud that I, along with my classmates, got to be part of this landmark new chapter of the UMSL College of Optometry.”
In addition, no less than 12 student leaders made the trip to Columbia for the final vote and their presence at this historic event did not go unnoticed by the Board of Curators and President Tim Wolfe. It was evident that it is always more challenging to decline a proposal when those impacted are sitting right in front of you. Dean Davis was especially appreciative of the important role the students played in our ability to achieve approval of a new clinic as quoted in the February 12th edition of UMSL Daily. “They recognized the lack of facilities designed with health-care and health professional education in mind and were willing to share the costs necessary to improve the situation for generations to come. They deserve a lot of credit for their unselfish and mature response to our longstanding challenges.”
So what happens now? The College has already initiated the process as multiple meetings have been held with Hellmuth Obata Kassabaum (HOK), who will serve as the architectural and engineering consultants for the Patient Care Center, with anticipation that the design will be completed by this Fall and the construction completed by Summer, 2016. For our faculty, staff, and alumni it represents a future of hope and fulfillment after years of disappointment; for the College of Optometry it represents the ability to compete more effectively with surrounding programs for high quality applicants; for students such as Jenna Osseck(’15), it represents the opportunity to leave a positive legacy: “When I chose UMSL, I hoped my legacy would be that I could make a major impact on the community in my hometown. With the approval of the new optometry building, not only have I been afforded the opportunity to impact the St. Louis community as a whole, but also to enhance the learning experience of future students for years to come. This approval is such an accomplishment for the faculty, staff, and students, and will leave positive, lasting effects that will solidify the future of our program."