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Dean's Welcome
Summers at
LSU Health Sciences Center are usually quite busy because it is the time of
the year when we orient new students to the campus and simultaneously
prepare to graduate another class of allied health professionals. This
summer semester is a little different from previous summers because this
August will be the last time that we hold a summer commencement. Seventy
graduates from the Departments of Physical Therapy, Clinical Laboratory
Sciences, Rehabilitation Counseling, Communication Disorders, and the Master
of Health Science Program will join 80 allied health graduates from this
year’s May and December commencements as the newest group of LSUHSC Allied
Health Professionals. Beginning in 2006, the Health Sciences Center will
move to one annual commencement ceremony that will be held in May.
Ultimately, we will see all 150 allied health graduates cross the stage to
receive their diplomas during the May commencement.
In this issue of the School Link you
will read about the accomplishments of students and faculty throughout the
School, as well as those of our graduates who are considered leaders in
their respective disciplines. You will see that changes are occurring in
our academic departments like the announcement of our Doctor of Physical
Therapy program, which will enroll its inaugural class in 2006.
You will also
read about how dedicated families, volunteers, and School of Allied Health
Professions faculty and staff came together to put on a gala event to
benefit the Children’s Fund and the infant/toddler and family services
program associated with the Early Intervention Institute.
Earlier this summer, I had an opportunity to talk with
several of our new students. I told them that the next two years would be
an experience unlike anything they had encountered previously - long days
involving classes, laboratories, and clinics, and even longer nights of
study. As we talked, I cautioned them that as hard as these times might
seem, the real challenge would come after graduation. I explained my
comment by paraphrasing a quote from a T.S. Elliot poem that scientists
involved in information technology and artificial intelligence often cite,
“Information is not knowledge, and knowledge is not wisdom”. Students enter
our programs and spend two and in some cases three years assimilating
mountains of information into a cogent knowledge of the science and art of
their specialty. On the day after commencement, a typical graduate will
awaken to the realization that although they have an LSUHSC degree and a
wealth of knowledge, there is still much to learn. It is at that moment
that they truly understand the concept of wisdom. Professors cannot teach
wisdom regardless of how wise they may seem! True wisdom comes only when we
have had an adequate amount of time to use the knowledge we’ve acquired and
reflect on our experiences.
I like this quote because as you can see it expresses
the essence of the educational experience. Indeed, it reinforces the
importance of our mission in the School of Allied Health Professions because
we believe that we provide a solid foundation for our graduates to
successfully embark on a lifetime of learning. To our newest graduates, I
congratulate you and wish you the very best in your future endeavors. To
all of our graduates, I thank you for your continued support of the School
of Allied Health Professions and the LSU Health Sciences Center in New
Orleans.
J.M. Cairo, Ph.D.
Dean
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