Welcome from the Dean

Happy New Year all! Welcome back to campus. I hope that you all had an opportunity to rest and relax over the break. Time away from our everyday tasks can be very restorative, with renewed enthusiasm and vigor. I know it was for me.  But also as always, it seemed far too short. Let's embrace this fresh start with renewed energy, embracing the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Together, we can create an enriching learning environment where all students feel empowered to explore, question, and grow.  

Empower and challenge yourself by preparing and organizing your thoughts for the new year.  The new year is a time of renewal, hope, and reflection. It is also an opportunity to express gratitude, foster connections, and inspire one another for the year ahead.

A commitment to community has always been at the heart of our college. Whether your interests lie in the health sciences, social work, kinesiology, occupational therapy, or nursing, as a student at the SVSU you will enjoy a rewarding educational experience enriched by collaboration with peers and mentors from an extraordinary range of personal and professional backgrounds. As you gain the skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience that prepare you for a career that makes a real difference to the health and well-being of people within the region, state, and beyond, you will also form a lifelong network of friends and colleagues. Our students, faculty, and staff provide tremendous services, deliver care, and translate new discoveries for the many populations we serve. Research and service learning are embedded within our academic programs to ensure that students have an opportunity to experience evidence-based practice across the lifespan.

What differentiates our programs from other schools are the extensive clinical and practical opportunities available for our students, and the belief that you learn best by doing.  Our programs use state-of-the-art simulation laboratory centers to allow students to experience real-life scenarios.  This year we are excited to announce the addition of the Anatomage Table, through grant support, which will help our students understand anatomy from a new perspective.

The collaboration of our programs allows for an interdisciplinary approach to learning that promotes the development and application of what has been taught and learned in new and different ways, thus preparing graduates for careers in new and emerging fields.  To prepare our students for the 21st century with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be leaders in the workplace and engaged citizens, the college of Health and Human Services at SVSU has focused on hiring outstanding faculty and staff who have developed widely respected programs.

For those of you joining SVSU for the first time, we are so excited to celebrate you becoming part of our SVSU family. As I move into my third academic year, I too will continue to embark on my journey with all of you.  We accomplished a great deal in that last few years and look forward to another productive semester. It is an exciting time to be a higher education provider for the health professions.

Advancements in health technology, improvements in standards of practice, and expanding health care roles continue to create new opportunities for graduates of the health professions. We pride ourselves on the ability to produce highly qualified and competitive candidates that are sought out by health profession employers.

We invite you to visit us and experience all our college has to offer. We are interested in creating partnerships that can ensure the health and wellbeing of the many communities we serve.

We believe that together we can be better!

Dr. Marcia Mastracci Ditmyer
Dean, College of Health & Human Services