CCSU Leaders learn from CHS innovation
August 15, 2024 Written by Amy Cherry | Photos by Gina Kinderman
Central Connecticut State University visits CHS ahead of opening of new College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Executive leadership from Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) visited the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences on Tuesday, August 13. Their visit marked a significant milestone as CCSU prepares to cut the ribbon on a new College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences next week. Jayanthi Kandiah, former Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Health at Ball State University in Indiana, will serve as the College’s inaugural dean.
“The new college provides the exciting opportunity to foster more and stronger collaborations between departments and programs and create innovative and interdisciplinary academic programs and professional certificates involving all the schools and colleges at Central,” said CCSU President Zulma R. Toro in an announcement on the school’s website following Connecticut Board of Regents approval for its ambitious plans last year. “Even better, the creation of this college provides the means to serve our community in new ways, all while providing excellent experiential learning opportunities for our students.”
CCSU’s visit to CHS was organized by University of Delaware Board of Trustee Carol A. Ammon, founder, retired CEO, and Chair of Endo Pharmaceuticals In., who obtained a bachelor of arts in biology from CCSU.
As CCSU seeks to bring together the academic departments of Nursing, Social Work, Nurse Anesthesia Practice, Physical Education and Human Performance, and Counselor Education, it has looked to CHS as an exemplar.
During their visit, CCSU leadership, including President Toro; Kimberly Kostelis, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Salvatore Cintorino, Chief Operations Officer; Richard Fichman, Liaison for the Community Health Education Clinic; Lisa McMahon, Assistant Professor and Coordinator for the Community Health Education Clinic; Kerri Langevin, Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Nursing; and Beth Merenstein, Associate Vice President for Community Engagement and Experiential Learning spent the morning touring UD’s Health Clinics on STAR Campus, which serve the community. During the tour, they also had the opportunity to meet with students working in the Physical Therapy, Speech-Language-Hearing, and Nutrition clinics and the Nurse Managed Primary Care Center.
These visits provided unique insight for CCSU, which seeks to provide similar experiential learning opportunities for students in the community, including through CCSU’s student-run Community Health Education Clinic, which opened last fall.
Following clinic visits, CCSU executive leadership met with the Partnership for Healthy Communities and Health for All program leadership and toured UD’s renowned simulation suite in STAR and on main campus and the anatomy and physiology suite in the Health Sciences Complex.
CHS Dean Bill Farquhar was grateful to Ammon for organizing the visit, which served as a mutual learning opportunity for both institutions.
“It was an honor to host the executive leadership from CCSU as they embark on the exciting journey of establishing a College of Health and Rehabilitative Sciences,” said Farquhar. “Our tour provided an opportunity to share insights, experiences, and the innovative approaches we've implemented here at CHS. We look forward to fostering a collaborative relationship with CCSU on our collective mission to advance health sciences education."
