Issue Management Management Issue - Illinois College of Optometry

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Z6768_01:Layout 1 3/25/08 3:48 PM Page 8 E Y E O N F A C U L T Y ICO hosts its first visiting professor, Dr. Leonard J. Press For four days this February, the Illinois College of Optometry hosted its first-ever visiting professor, Dr. Leonard J. Press, Optometric Director of the Vision and Learning Center in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. A nationally recognized expert on pediatrics, binocular vision and vision and learning, Press presented lectures to faculty and students, worked with students in a clinical setting and gave a four-hour continuing education presentation while at ICO. His visit was made possible by the Dr. and Mrs. Dominick Maino Visiting Professor Endowment Fund, created to enhance scholarly activity and patient care for its students, patients, and faculty. The fund will continue to provide annual support for visiting professorships in pediatrics and binocular vision. 7 / ICO MATTERS SPRING 2008 BE OUR GUEST “Dr. Maino was very effective in organizing a lecture for the students,” Press said, “and even though it was held between 4 and 5 pm on a Friday — not a prime slot for a lecturer — I was gratified that 100 students came. It was entirely voluntary, and yet many first-year students who don’t know much about the field came to hear the lecture.”
Z6768_01:Layout 1 3/25/08 3:48 PM Page 9 E Y E O N F A C U L T Y Indeed, one first-year student wrote Maino, OD ’78: “Thank you very much for starting the visiting professor program. As a first-year, I assumed I would understand very little of Dr. Press’s presentation, but that was not the case at all. It was informative, entertaining, and motivating to me. I really appreciate your efforts in helping us as a student body to have these wonderful opportunities. The more exposure to all different aspects of optometry we have, the better we understand how we fit into this great profession.” Press was also pleased with a good showing from a faculty lecture he designed to encourage his colleagues to network outside of the field of optometry. “I related my experiences meeting individuals in the allied professions, and how I was able to broaden awareness of what we do,” said Press. “Most people think they know what our profession is about, but I think they still confuse the ‘three Os’: optometry, ophthalmology, and opticianry.” Networking outside one’s field helps build positive influence in other allied professions and increases optometrists’ access to networks of colloquia, conferences, and other professional meetings, he said. “That broadens our sphere of influence and benefits us as practitioners as well as the field at large.” In fact, it’s networking that led Maino to establish the visiting professorship. “I thought something like this would be ideal for the Illinois College of Optometry,” he said. “We could bring in non-ICO experts who could share their knowledge with our community.” Maino said a “generous gift from a patient of mine” also helped bring in Press. Visiting professorships are healthy for optometric colleges that can sometimes become insular. “It is a unique opportunity for me to be able to impart an enthusiasm for the field and a perspective from outside the College,” Press said. “It also helps build a positive and healthy reinforcement for students when they hear about approaches that are not just proprietary to their own faculty, but are widely acknowledged to be effective around the country, both from a teaching and a clinical standpoint.” In sum, “It’s been awesome,” Maino said of Press’s visit. He said other visiting professorship programs are now in development that will emphasize various clinical areas of expertise at ICO. — Susan Soric (l to r) Drs. Maino and Press Dr. E. R. Tennant: In Memoriam Come one and all to our last call for comments in honor of Dr. Richard Tennant Deadline: May 15, 2008 Per the superior suggestion of Alfred A. Rosenbloom, Jr., NICO ’48, and Neil Hodur, OD ’75, ICO Matters is gathering memories of Dr. Tennant for a special section in an upcoming issue. A beloved ICO educator, Dr. Tennant taught 25,000 students over the course of his career, and was repeatedly voted “Teacher of the Year.” Dr. Tennant taught for more than 30 years, until his death in 1988. Please share your photos and stories in honor of the 20th anniversary of Dr. Tennant’s death, and indicate if you would like your contribution returned. Email ICO Matters at clmmarti@gmail.com, or mail your comments to: ICO Office of Alumni Relations 3241 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60616 Thank you!! ICO MATTERS SPRING 2008 / 8
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Issue Management Management Issue - Illinois College of Optometry

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