OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS, our school has evolved from a single building at 18th and Spring Garden streets in Philadelphia into a true college campus in Elkins Park, where teaching, research, and service intersect. Our classrooms and labs are built for collaboration and interdisciplinary learning, and opportunities for experiential learning are abundant because we know the value of firsthand experience.
We are proud of the campus and the culture we have built—but rapid technological advances and the growth of our academic programs mean that our facilities are in need of expansion and modernization.
To meet these demands, we are equipping all of our classrooms with contemporary audio-visual systems, lecture-capture technology, and webinar capabilities. We have transformed our outdated library into a two-floor, 11,000-square-foot Learning Resource Center with a comprehensive digital library. We have built a new learning space that holds up to 300 students—the kind of space we previously did not have but that is essential to enhancing our inter-professional education capabilities.
One of the most exciting things happening at Salus is the way integrated technologies are transforming how curriculum is delivered, particularly in our simulation and clinical skills labs. Our ophthalmic clinical simulation lab features state-of-the-art virtual reality technology that replicates the patient experience and refines students’ technical and diagnostic skills. Our optometry clinical skills lab integrates cutting-edge equipment with an electronic health record in clinical operatories that increase students’ access to clinical skills practice time. Our audiology clinical skills lab includes the most advanced tools available for auditory testing, electro physiological and vestibular testing, and hearing aid fitting.
These facilities provide powerful training tools that set us apart from other universities—but sustaining them requires significant resources. With your support, we can make upgrades that will fully support the work of our students and faculty and continue to change the way we both teach and learn.