Under the Arch

GANNON UNVEILS PLANS FOR HIGH-TECH PATIENT SIMULATION CENTER

Gannon University has expanded its health professional programs by creating a new College of Health Professions and Sciences and purchasing a new building to house the College. The Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences will open in the fall 2008 semester in the Robert H. Morosky Academic Center located at 150 West 10^th Street.

An exciting component of the new Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences will be a fully staffed, 5,800 square foot state-of-the-art Patient Simulation Center. The education and training facility, which will be located on the ground floor of the Morosky Academic Center and will open in 2009, was developed in consultation with the staff of the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation Education and Research (WISER). This specialized learning center will utilize several high-fidelity human patient simulators to provide students, from multiple disciplines, the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in a real-world setting. “The Center will incorporate the most advanced, innovative medical simulation and education technologies into the health professional curricula. Students will engage in hands-on, multi-disciplinary training that will promote communication, problem-solving, critical thinking and teamwork skills, and they will be better prepared to meet the challenges of today’s healthcare industry,” said President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D. In addition to the major gift from Mr. Robert H. Morosky `63, Gannon alumnus and member of the Board of Trustees, to name the building and the new College, Gannon also received a $237,000 gift from the Orris C. & Beatrice Dewey Hirtzel Memorial Foundation, and a $75,000 gift from the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust to help build the Patient Simulation Center.

The University’s enrollment of 4,134 students this past fall is its largest total enrollment in 15 years. Over the past five years, enrollment in the health professional programs has grown by 40% to 1,045 students and currently represents over 25% of Gannon’s total student body. The quality of these students and programs is just one reason for Gannon’s consistent ranking in the top-tier of Master’s I universities in the northern section of the country and as a top-tier (9^th) best value university in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category by U.S. News & World Report.

Gannon offers more than 100 quality academic undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, including 39 programs in the health professions and health-related sciences. “The University has established a tradition of excellence in health professional education for over 55 years. Our dynamic faculty are engaged with our students in innovative certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs for health professionals, including nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, radiologic sciences, respiratory care, nutrition, medical technology, and pre-medical programs. Gannon is respected as an exceptional educator of health professionals and each of its health professional programs is nationally accredited by professional certifying associations,” said President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D.

“The clear emphasis on integration of technology into these programs and the inter-connections among our multiple healthcare academic programs is a niche for Gannon and our students. We are one of only a few colleges or universities nationally that offers such a breadth of health professional degrees, and the active partnerships among these programs are rare. Because of this, Gannon serves as the largest regional health professional resource for healthcare practitioners and students, and maintains affiliation contracts with more than 40 healthcare institutions in northwestern Pennsylvania, including every major medical center in the region, as well as over 500 across the United States,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Keith Taylor, Ph.D., DPT.

Gannon University’s 21st Century Integrated Healthcare Initiative

Thus, to build on this success and to be regionally and nationally competitive today and in the future, Gannon University has initiated a project entitled the 21st Century Integrated Healthcare Initiative. The initial project goals are to:

· Fully integrate the multiple health professional education programs by establishing the healthcare team management approach across all curricula to prepare practitioners who are immediately ready for practice in the 21^st Century Medical System;

· Integrate state-of-the-art technology and best practices into health professional education programs and utilize technology to build connections and understanding among the programs and the future healthcare practitioners;

· Build a regional network of healthcare providers and institutions to identify critical healthcare and educational needs and to establish innovative programs and services to address these regional needs.

The selected project initiatives are to:

· Open a fully staffed Healthcare Simulation Center in 2009 and embed patient simulation into all levels of healthcare education;

· Serve as the Tri-state comprehensive regional healthcare professional training resource center and facilitate collaboration among regional healthcare providers in professional education and research;

· Create a robust and fully accessible digital, multi-media medical records system to integrate health information technology into the learning environment for practicing professionals and students;

· Develop a unique healthcare team education model that engages practicing clinicians and students from different disciplines to utilize a comprehensive series of multi-media electronic patient case portfolios;

· Create a technical support system for applying advanced technologies in education and healthcare practice.

“The benefits of the 21st Century Integrated Healthcare Initiative will extend beyond the University to the regional healthcare networks. The Healthcare Simulation Center and the implementation of an integrated health information technology model can furnish innovative and sophisticated continuing education for healthcare workers. Although some area providers in northwestern Pennsylvania currently utilize patient simulators and basic information technology for limited staff training, the area does not currently have a comprehensive Healthcare Simulation Center to serve as a regional training resource; however, Gannon will fill this need when our state-of-the-art facility opens in 2009,” said Provost Taylor.

RECENT NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

News of interest on and around campus...

The annual International Night celebration, held Saturday in the Hammermill Center, was covered by WJET-24 and WICU-12. Congratulations to the event’s organizers and all who helped make it successful.
Nominations are being accepted for the Maroon and Gold Awards. If you know a deserving faculty, staff, or administrative member who demonstrates exceptional effort in supporting our students, please consider nominating them. The nomination form and an explanation of the awards can be found at http://my.gannon.edu/special/rent_forms/default.html. The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 11. For more information, contact Jerry Miele at ext. 7597 or e-mail miele001@gannon.edu.

CAMPUS EVENTS

Thursday, April 3 – Community Mass: 11 a.m. in the Chapel.
Thursday, April 3 – Graduate Open House: Will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the third floor lobby area of the Palumbo Center. Attendees will be able to meet with faculty and representatives from Admissions and Financial Aid.
Friday-Saturday, April 4-5 – Tenth annual 30-Hour Fast: The fast will raise money for Catholic Relief Services. Participating students will begin fasting at 12 p.m. on Friday and continue to fast until 5 p.m. Saturday. During the fast, the students also will participate in community service and attend a prayer service, among other activities.
Thursday, April 10 – Community Health Fair: The fair, “What’s the Buzz? Bee Your Best!” will run from 4-7 p.m. at the John E. Horan Community Center, 730 Tacoma Road. The fair will focus on areas like fire safety, bicycle safety, and healthy recipes and nutrition. Attendees also will be able to partake in family-oriented fun activities, and children can play in a Dino Jump. The event will be hosted by the Gannon University Nursing Center.
Friday, April 11 – Gannon University’s Erie Chamber Orchestra: Conducted and directed by Bruce Morton Wright. This concert will feature soloist Laura Nelson (alp horn). The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel.
Saturday, April 12 – Free Financial Aid Workshop: The workshop will cover the entire financial aid process as well as a step-by-step review of the questions on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Other topics include definitions of terms parents and students should know and the aid programs available. The workshop will begin at 10 a.m. in Palumbo room 1200.
Friday, April 18 – Faculty Awards Convocation: The ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. in the Yehl Room, with a reception to follow.
“Our Events” is intended to serve as a random sample of campus events. For a more complete listing, refer to Eventcal.

THE PRESIDENT’S SCHEDULE

Thursday, April 3 – Sr. Thea Bowman Black Catholic Education Foundation Board of Directors meeting.

PRAYER CONCERNS

Please remember all in your prayers as regretfully we announce the deaths of:

Lynette Ruggiero, sister of Marguerite Millis, loan clerk, finance and administration, and aunt of Miriah, a sophomore, Alex, a senior, and Zach Millis, a Gannon alumnus.
Anna L. Finegan, mother of James M. Finegan, director of Career Services and Cooperative Education, and grandmother of Hannah Finegan, a freshman student, and widow of Owen T. Finegan, former Gannon administrator.
Anne Weigel, retiree of Gannon University. She was the receptionist and switchboard operator from 1982-91.
Arihanna J. (Arie) Tate, granddaughter of John T. Coleman, security guard, Campus Police and Safety.

CURRENT BIRTHDAYS

Christine Kuhar. Anneke Chewning. Ginny Caldwell. Robert Nelsen. Mary Sue Meabon. Julie Wolfe. Dolores Smith. Keith Taylor. Jessica Short. Melissa Peters. Renee Huefner. Anita Miller. Gang Zheng. Audrey Scruton. Robert Stallbaum Jr. Michael Caro. Katherine Straight. Lyndia Lee. Jennifer Patsy. Hanni Wagner. Michelle Wiley. Kathy Zonna. John Reilly. Brenda Wilson. Michelle Klemm. Derick Jackson. Jacki Kubiak. Stephen Wagner. Linda Ace. Joy Armbruster. Linda Kobler.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Students to learn in state-of-the-art Center: Gannon student Justin Liggett, a junior nursing major, works with a high-fidelity human patient simulator in the Palumbo Academic Center. The simulators, like the one shown here, will allow students from multiple academic disciplines to apply classroom knowledge in a real-world setting. The university held a press conference last week to announce that the Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences will include a fully staffed, 5,800 square foot, state-of-the-art Patient Simulation Center. The Simulation Center, and the Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, will be housed in the Robert H. Morosky Academic Center at 150 West Tenth Street. See above for more information on this exciting announcement for Gannon.