Campaign for - SUNY College of Optometry

Campaign forSUNY College Of OptometryPATIENT CARE • EDUCATION • VISION RESEARCH

The Campaign–The Vision and the PromiseWith the shared commitment of our supporters and advocates, we will beable to reach our $10 million target by 2014 and respond to new opportunitiesto improve vision care and meet the growing health care needs oflocal, national and global communities.Millions of people in New York and around the world have been touched bythe work done at the State University of New York College of Optometry.Since its founding in 1971 when a group of dedicated optometrists cametogether with the mission to improve public health, the College has continuedto make vital contributions in all areas of vision science, optometric educationand patient care.Under the leadership of its president, Dr. David A. Heath, the College hasembarked on a new strategic plan, A Shared Vision, to accomplish its enduringmission in new, creative ways that will both address the key challenges weface and shape the future of vision care and scientific advancement.

How You CanMake a DifferenceAlumni, parents, faculty and friends of the College arevital partners in our mission to advance vision care,education and scientific research. You can supportthe College by giving to the Optometric Center ofNew York (OCNY), the College’s foundation. Manydifferent types of giving opportunities are available—unrestricted annual giving, major gifts, reunion gifts,bequests, planned gifts and grants and awards fromfoundations and corporations.However you choose to support the institution—and at whatever level—your generosity is bothessential and deeply appreciated. Every gifttakes us a step closer to reaching new levels ofinnovation in the field of optometry.Campaign GoalsWe invite you to join our efforts to make thesegoals a reality by considering the many targetedgiving opportunities available.Patient CareOur mission at the University Eye Center (UEC) is to extend quality vision careto everyone, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Gifts to the campaign furtherthis mission by helping fund our unique services including the Indigent Care andHomebound Programs, Children with Special Needs Suite, Head Trauma Unit,leading-edge Imaging Center and numerous community outreach programs.Our specialty programs serve as major resources for optometrists, counselors,rehabilitation hospitals, schools and health care professionals throughout theNew York metro area.Joseph P. was working at a construction job to fund his college educationwhen a nail from a nail gun pierced his frontal lobe. He survived the accident,but due to the severe head trauma, Joseph developed halting speech and haddifficulty balancing. When no other treatment helped him, he turned to theUniversity Eye Center where he underwent an individualized program ofvision rehabilitation. Thanks to the unique head trauma and vision therapyservices offered at the UEC, Joseph’s condition improved dramatically and hewas able to return to school.Gift of $12,500provides 50 patients withglaucoma evaluation.Gift of $15,000covers the costs of 100 visitsto homebound patients.Gift of $25,000gives 25 learning disabled kidspsychoeducational testing.Gift of $26,000provides 20 children with 10vision therapy sessions each.Gift of $50,000constructs and furnishes a namedwaiting room for children with specialneeds and their parents or guardians.Gift of $75,000furnishes a new exam room for childrenwith head trauma, named for the donor.Gift of $100,000establishes a named endowment tocreate a community outreach programto offer support groups and educationalprograms for patients, parents andloved ones of head trauma victims andthose with devastating eye diseases.Gift of $125,000provides 125 low vision patientswith devices to enhance the qualityof their lives.Gift of $150,000creates a named endowment tomaintain and enhance the latestimaging technology.EducationGiven budget cuts across the board and statewidetuition increases, SUNY students today face morefinancial challenges than ever before. Endowedscholarship funds are vital to our mission of attractingand retaining the highest quality of students.Initiatives benefitting from campaign gifts—Endowed Student Scholarship Fund, CampusCenter for Student Life and Learning and a Centerfor Career Development—will enable us to fostera community committed to learning and service.For Maren S. (’10), a talented and highly qualifiedcandidate for the O.D. program, attending SUNYdidn’t seem possible when she considered the priceof tuition, books, equipment and living expensesin one of the most expensive cities in the world.An OCNY scholarship made it possible for her toattend and thrive at SUNY. Our community hasbenefited from her contributions as an outstandingstudent and newly licensed optometrist.Gift of $15,000covers the cost of tuitionfor one optometrystudent for one year.Gift of $25,000creates a namedendowment to recruitunderrepresented minoritiesto the professionaldegree program.Gift of $50,000establishes a namedendowment to offsettuition costs forCanadian studentswho do not qualifyfor U.S. financial aid.Gift of $100,000creates a namedscholarship endowment.ResearchFellowships provided by the OCNY enable SUNYresearchers to continue making groundbreakingdiscoveries and advancing the field of vision science.Campaign gifts will help establish the Clinical ResearchCenter and develop a Technology Innovation Fund.From developing new treatments for dry eyeconditions to improving state-of-the-art specialtesting equipment to studying how corneas heal ininjured soldiers, vision scientists at the GraduateCenter for Vision Research conduct research thatmakes an impact.Gift of $25,000endowment creates a one-dayannual colloquium with arenowned scientist.Gift of $25,000establishes a one-year tuitionoffset for a gifted graduate studentand promising researcher.Gift of $50,000seeds grant funds for atalented researcher.Gift of $125,000provides a named one-yearclinical research fellowship.Gift of $150,000provides venture capital for aninnovative research project.Gift of $250,000creates a named endowmentto establish a visiting researchprofessorship.