Alumni Association President’s Letter: Dr. Bob Owens

As my tenure as the current president of the Salus Alumni Association Board comes to a close over the next few months, I am reflecting upon some of our progress over this past year. Personally, I have reconnected with the alpha /omega of my student trajectory at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University. More specifically, I’ve seen the full fruition of the three-legged stool model in my own life. 

Through the excellent academic preparation I have received at Salus, the opportunities for active engagement through our professional organizations and associated legislative challenges, and my current leadership of the Alumni Association Board, I’ve seen the full circle of opportunities available to all alumni. I encourage our graduates to be engaged and reap the benefits of more closely aligning with Salus, its goals and our professional organizations. Of course, consider joining our alumni board.   

To touch upon a few of our accomplishments over this past year: 

• We have connected with our new students by welcoming them individually and as a group during orientation.

• We have awarded student grants to ease the burden of registration costs for conferences and humanitarian trips. 

• We have recognized and bestowed awards for the personal and professional achievements of some of our outstanding graduates. 

• We continue Dr. Harry Kaplan’s legacy by offering our “Salus Cares” raffle tickets.  There are only 500 tickets to be sold, so visit the Salus website if you have misplaced your forms. 

• We have been regrouping “post COVID” by offering face-to-face Alumni Board meetings, planning class reunions, and social events. 

• We have implemented the new bylaws, which have extended the size of our Alumni Board of Directors to increase the opportunities for more involvement and representation of all of the University’s colleges.

Yet, there is more to be done, and this is just laying the groundwork; we invite you to get involved and help the next generation of our colleagues. 

In closing, the Alumni Board has allowed me to reconnect with former friends and develop new friendships with another generation of colleagues from our expanding colleges.  It has been a gratifying experience. I thank my fellow Alumni Board members for their hard work and my colleagues for their support. 

In July, we will welcome our president-elect – Zac Saunders, MSOT ’17, into his new position as president. As a student, Zac received the Unsung Hero & Spirit of Salus Award and the Salus travel grant. He also received the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association student scholarship. He started his occupational therapy career at Kessler Rehabilitation Center after graduating magna cum laude in 2017 and continues there as the student fieldwork coordinator. In 2021, he completed his certification in manual therapy (COMT). Zac has shown his commitment to Salus University throughout his time here and continues that tradition as he takes over the role of president of the Salus Alumni Association Board. 

Carpe Diem.

Fond regards,

Bob Owens, OD, ’80, FAAO