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Dear WesternU Family,
This past month has been a heartwarming start to a new academic year in both Pomona and Lebanon. It fills my body, mind, and spirit with great pride to see many of our employees connecting in person for the first time since Spring of 2020. Many of our students were able to join their classmates on campus for the very first time. As a University, we have seemingly made it through one of the most difficult periods in global health. I am eternally grateful that our faculty and staff worked diligently through the pandemic to ensure our students could stay on track to graduate on time.
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White Coats in the WesternU Oregon Campus Store | | |
WesternU welcomed more than 900 students to its Pomona campus during Welcome Week Aug. 1-5, 2022 and celebrated their entry into the health professions at white coat ceremonies Aug. 5-6. With WesternU’s osteopathic medicine and physical therapy programs in Lebanon, Oregon welcoming about 160 incoming students in July, the University has nearly 1,100 new students for the 2022-23 academic year. | |
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POMONA & LEBANON
WELCOME BACK CAMPUS EVENTS
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It was a joyous occasion as I was able to meet so many faculty and staff members in person during Welcome Back Campus events in Pomona and Lebanon. It was equally rewarding to watch employees connect with each other – many for the first time in over two years. These have been difficult times, and your sacrifices were personal, and it wasn’t easy to endure the last couple of years. Thank you for your dedication and for your loyalty. Together we move forward stronger than ever because of what we endured. | |
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WESTERNU'S FIRST AWARDEES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES SCHOLARSHIP
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In March 2022, Western University of Health Sciences’ Board of Trustees created a $6 million endowed scholarship to help remove financial barriers for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and increase student diversity in graduate health sciences and the health professions workforce. It was my distinct honor to welcome the inaugural cohort of the WesternU Board of Trustee Scholarship winners to a luncheon Wednesday, Aug. 10. Special guests included John A. Forbing, LHD (Hon.), Board Secretary, Provost Paula Crone, deans, and administrators. I’d like to thank our present and expanding WesternU Board of Trustee members for their tireless quest to dismantle health disparities and broader systemic injustices that disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged and underrepresented students. | |
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CELEBRATING WITH POMONA
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
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La Nueva Voz, Pomona's only community newspaper, published its first Hispanic Heritage Month special "pull-out" section in its August 25 issue and WesternU is supporting the community with an ad featuring student representatives from the WesternU Latino Medical Student Association, Hispanic Student Dental Association, and Latinx Veterinary Medical Association. | |
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Copies are available in the lobby of the Patient Care Center and literally all over Pomona and surrounding communities. The newspaper can be viewed online (at no cost) each month at www.lanuevavoz.net. Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. It was my distinct honor to meet some of the student leaders representing WesternU in this important community ad and I thank them for their participation in helping us recognize Hispanic Heritage Month. See the WesternU ad on Page 16.
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ACADEMIC DETAIL AND COMMENCEMENT CORE TEAMS
GRAZIE
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I had the pleasure of joining members of the Academic Detail and Commencement Core Teams at a very special thank you luncheon held in Pomona. I so appreciate the tireless work this team does every year to ensure exciting and seamless Commencement ceremonies for our graduates. Special thanks to Dr. Beverly Guidry, Sr. Vice President for Student Affairs, for leading this fine team in what is year-long planning to pull off events of WesternU’s Commencement magnitude.
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CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS
WELCOME CONGRESSWOMAN TORRES
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I was delighted to welcome Congresswoman Norma J. Torres to campus this month. She represents California's 35th Congressional District in the Inland Empire which includes Bloomington, Chino, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and Rialto. She previously served as a State Senator, Assembly Member, and as a Mayor and Council Member in the City of Pomona. Throughout her career in elected office, she has worked to make government more responsive to the needs of Inland Empire residents. Jeff Keating, Vice President Community & Governmental Affairs and Anthony Leymore, Congresswoman Torres’ district director were on hand as we discussed important ways in which the University can collaborate with Congresswoman Torres to achieve mutual gains for our southern California region.
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You may find previous President’s Newsletters posted on the President’s website. | |
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CONTINUED DEDICATION
APPRECIATION
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This past month has really been about appreciation – my appreciation for you and your continued dedication to the WesternU family and to our noble ethos. If you look at all the universities around the country, we really do stand alone in our unwavering focus on the dedication to things like humanism and compassion.
- We embody humanism through caring, respect, empathy, trust, and inclusion.
- We sustain a pioneering culture of bold innovation, courage, and passion.
- We display a collaborative mindset in how we operate, educate, and serve others.
- We achieve excellence in everything we do.
As we enter into the feasibility study for a comprehensive capital campaign, we do it together, and we do it for future generations of health care providers who share our brand of humanism and compassion. Each of us will play a significant role in the success of our fundraising efforts for expansion in both Pomona and Lebanon. These are exciting times for WesternU. Thank you for all that you do for our university and for the success of our students.
My very warmest wishes!
Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA
President
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We inspire, in a humanistic tradition, health care professionals and biomedical knowledge that enhances and extends the quality of life in our communities. | | | | |
