Fall 2015 Perspectives

COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES • 5 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Mary Blackinton, Ed.D., PT, GCS, program director of the Hybrid Entry-Level D.P.T. program in Tampa, was selected to speak on the core value of academic excellence at the NSU Team 2020 Celebration earlier this year. “My most profound experiences in achieving academic excellence have occurred when people come together around a common purpose,” Blackinton said. She described academic excel- lence as the “purposeful pursuit of setting, and then attaining, high standards. It is also not a solitary endeavor.” The College of Health Care Sciences has numerous initiatives designed to cultivate academic excel- lence. One initiative is the CHCS Center for Academic and Professional Education (CAPE), which incorporates the college’s various acade- mies: Teaching and Learning Academy (including the Hybrid Institute), Leadership and Manage- ment Academy, Academy for Career Enrichment, and Research Academy. The Teaching and Learning Academy is designed to prepare highly qualified clinicians to leverage best practices in teaching and learning in an effort to create highly engaging and effective academic experiences. The new Academy for Career Enrichment is designed to cultivate the leadership skills of the college’s staff members toward the goal of empowering all employees to contribute and serve at their highest level. Sandee Dunbar, D.P.A., OTR/L, assistant dean of professional development, commented on the intentional way the program promotes boundary-spanning experiences. “Crossing professional lines in workshops, seminars, and formal courses gives participants from different disciplines an avenue to dialogue about academic Researchers at the Center for Creative Leadership have identified five boundaries 2 that impede the effectiveness of organizations and systems: n Vertical Boundaries— hierarchical lines within organizations n Horizontal Boundaries— the lines that divide organizations, disciplines, depart- ments, and product lines n Stakeholder Boundaries— the varying perspectives, goals, needs, and roles of clients, partners, vendors, regulators, and others who are connected to the organization n Demographic Boundaries— differences that emerge from an individual’s identity, such as generational, gender, religious, educational, cultural, physical ability, skills, and training n Geographic Boundaries— the influence of different regions, cultures, and physical locations Within the College of Health Care Sciences, it is a leadership mindset that develops the capacity of the system—students, faculty and staff members, and stakeholders—to improve health care in our community. This is done, in part, as we work collectively to align our efforts with NSU’s Core Values, which are as follows: l Academic Excellence l Student Centered l Integrity l Innovation l Opportunity l Scholarship/Research l Diversity l Community