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Open to all, the ICO Wellness Fair will be held on September 24, 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., and give us tips and ideas on how to live a safe and healthy lifestyle. The one-day event will be in the gym and have healthy snacks, free flu shots, raffle prizes and more. There will also be several organizations including Divvy Bikes, Chicago Public Library, American Heart Association, Illinois Organ Donor Association, Access Health, Fitness Center and Michigan Avenue Immediate Care.  Please RSVP for the ICO Wellness Fair by September 23. Don’t miss it!

The Student Association and Community Service Organization are hosting a blood drive today (Monday, September 15) in the gym until 1:00 p.m. Walk-ins are more than welcome!

The Illinois College of Optometry is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Alumni Association Awards. Ten optometrists and one corporation will be honored for professional achievement, leadership in education and excellence in philanthropy, on Saturday, September 6 at the InterContinental Chicago. The 2014 Alumni Association award recipients are: Golden Gavel Awards Charles W. Harrill, OD ’74, Dipl. ABO Pamela A. Lowe, OD ’88, FAAO, Dipl. ABO Dominick M. Maino, OD ’78, MEd, FAAO, FCOVD-A Jeffrey R. Varanelli, OD ’98, FAAO, Dipl. ABO, ABCMO Alumnus of the Year Award Donald J. Bush, OD ’79 (posthumously) Young Alumnus of the Year Award Jennifer S. Harthan, OD ’06, FAAO Distinguished Friend Award Essilor of America, Inc. Professional Achievement Award Peter A. Russo, OD ’87, FAAO Excellence in Education Award Yi Pang, OD, PhD, FAAO Humanitarian Award Ruth S. McAndrews, OD ’79, FVI Lifetime Service Award C. Clayton Powell, Sr., OD ’52, MPH, DOS Congratulations to the 2014 Alumni Association Award winners. For more information about the awards and how to nominate a deserving individual, call 312.949.7080 or e-mail alumni@ico.edu.

ICO’s Homecoming is September 5-7.  Join your classmates and colleagues for a weekend full of educational, networking and social events for all to enjoy. The registration deadline is Friday, August 29, so sign-up online today and guarantee your seat.

One of ICO’s annual traditions for the incoming class is the President’s Welcome/White Coat Ceremony, a special event when students are presented with a white clinic coat, signifying the transition into professional education. This year’s event is Saturday, August 23rd at 1:30 p.m., in the Lecture Center. At 11:00 a.m. in the LC there will be a brief orientation for parents.

At long last, the renovation of ICO’s library (phase I) is complete. And, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The space has been transformed into a modern space with swanky areas for students to study and interact with the libraries’ collections. The refreshing new space isn’t the only thing that’s new. There is also a ton of new digital content including subscriptions to the Center for Research Libraries and Ebsco medical databases, and access to thousands of e-books (mostly leisure) through CARLI and the Illinois State Library. If you haven’t been to campus, yet, be sure to tour the new space including the reimagined second floor, which is now home to many staff and faculty. Now that Phase I is complete, the focus shifts to the much anticipated build of the new Alfred and Sarah Rosenbloom Center on Vision and Aging (phase II). Chicago-based architectural and interior design firm Jensen & Halstead didn’t waste any time getting started on the project. The new center is expected to be complete in the fall. Students, faculty, staff and visitors can also expect a revamped dining experience in the coming weeks after renovations wrap up in the cafeteria. Chartwells, the catering company that runs ICO’s cafeteria, is covering the costs of the renovation project. Thank you, Chartwells!

ICOlympics, a Student Association-hosted event, will take place on the lot next to the Residential Complex on Saturday, Aug. 16. Events include limbo, water balloon toss, volleyball, dodgeball, relay race, tug-of-war, and hot dog and watermelon eating contests. A sign-up sheet is posted on the SA bulletin board outside the mailroom in the President’s Lounge. Even if you don’t compete, attendees will still receive free food, drinks and an ICOlympics T-shirt. Faculty and staff are also welcome to swing by and watch. Festivities will begin at 10:30 a.m., when students can start picking up their T-shirts. Food and drinks will be available at 11, and the competition will start at noon and go until 4 p.m. Use #icolympics if you plan to tweet or Instagram the event!

Each year, ICO’s admissions team visits dozens of undergraduate institutions throughout the U.S. and Canada, representing the college at graduate/professional fairs and conducting presentations for pre-optometry and pre-health clubs. Schedule permitting, students may visit these schools on ICO’s behalf, usually their own alma mater. Contact senior director of admissions Teisha Johnson for more information.

The Illinois College of Optometry is proud to announce that Arol Augsburger, OD, was inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame on June 26, during a ceremony as part of Optometry’s Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa. Dr. Augsburger was one of three inductees honored this year for significant contributions to the profession. Dr. Augsburger has served with privilege for more than 43 years at three distinguished optometry programs—The Ohio State University College of Optometry, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry and the Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Augsburger was named president of ICO in 2002. During his tenure, he has advanced student performance on National Board Examinations, expanded the clinic program to include an electronic health care record system and additional patient care clinics in communities surrounding the college, and provided leadership for the long-term investment in ICO’s assets by overseeing the addition of an enhanced learning center, state-of-the-art Lecture Center and library, and the Alfred and Sarah Rosenbloom Center on Vision and Aging. Among his numerous awards are: National Optometrist of the Year (1986), H. Ward Ewalt Medal for Service to Optometry (1993), Alabama Optometrist of the Year (2000), Carel C. Koch Award (2001), Illinois Optometrist of the Year (2007), and OSU Optometry Distinguished Alumnus Award (2011). He has also authored more than 140 articles and chapters, including studies that have been published in Journal of National Academies of Practice, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Journal of the American Optometric Association and Journal of Optometric Education. Congratulations to Dr. Arol Augsburger!

The following students earned a spot on the Dean’s List for the spring quarter of the 2013-14 school year by achieving a quarterly GPA of 3.5 or better and earning no grade below a B or H (honors) in all patient care courses: First Year Ahrar, Shari Alexopoulos, Denise Arneson, Gretchen Bandstra, Alaina Bartek, Ann Berens, Ashley Blavat, Jamie Bouras, George Brandt, Alexandra Brenart, Robert Burton, Margaret Cowling, Jessica Daraban, Daniel Dennis, Erica Frantz, Bryan Giraldo, Tatiana Gorski, Emily Hartnett, Meghan Hasler, Rachel Heer, Sonia Hutchins, Emily Jacobs, Matthew Jhamb, Sameera Karpuk, Kayla Kaur, Harjot Klover, Kori Kroona, Katie Lydon, Jennifer Meyer, Robert Pfeiffer, Kevin Phung, Y Nhu Reynolds, Renae Rodriguez, Javier Rosado, Ariel Sasitharan, Mathuraa Schaeffer, David Seibert, Spencer Wang, Helen Wicks, Jamie Wilgenbusch, Casey Williams, Jenna Woodward, Melissa Zimmerman, Ashley Second Year Anderson, Elisabeth Boettcher, Brittany Boyle, Brad Calderon Ramirez, Lui Caudill, Eryn Chan, Adrienne Chawla, Harsh Choe, Susan Chun, Hae Crampton, Nicole Cullen, Stephanie Encarnacao, Cayley Fiedler, Jacie Fisher, Claire Fridman, Alla Gabreski, Scott Gagnon, Erica Ganesh, Ranjini Gray, Fraser Haghani, Sara Hake, Amanda Hammang, Laurel Han, Mengli Hanneman, Angela Hu, Angela Jaros, Joelle Jawdi, Ammar Keding, Amy Khan, Majid Kordon, Victoria Kusek, William LaLiberte, Stephanie Lam, Hara Lemke, Jenna Levernosh, Matthew Martinez, Jesus McHenry, Paul McHugh, Caitlyn McLaughlin, Mallory Patel, Eva Patel, Shruti Penny, Michael Petkov, Zory Powell, Kimberly Pukhovich, Irina Quan, Steven Roghair, Christopher Rosenberg, Jamie Scanlon, Brianne Singh, Gaganpreet Steinberg, Olivia Tam, Sally Tan, Monica Varney, Kelly Vuong, Joanna Wilczek, Margaret Wozny, Natalie Yang, Sophia Yi, Eunice Third Year Andrews, Kristie Auyeung, Michelle Bartolini, Alyssa Batalo, Dillon Berkowitz, Rachel Blood-White, Christi Bohn, Briana Bromann, Gretchen Brown, Janelle Bugajski, Christopher Carlson, John Carr, Natalie Choi, Joann Choi, Young Choy, Alexander Cordel, Taia Dave, Forum Drossman, Amy Endres, Chase Finch, Ashley Frizzle, Kinzy Gittens, Cliff Green, Katherine Hammond, Paul Herrera, Brett-Ashley Holcomb, Jennifer Howell, Aundrea Hueske, Megan Jagani, Aliasghar Jass, Ryan Kampschneider, Jenna Katsikos, Ashley Khurana, Neeta Kitzmann, Eric Koutnik, Edward Kruthoff, Christopher Lam, Verissa Lemburg, Emily Metz, Caitlin Minhas, Harpreet Murphy, Sasha Ovitsky, Erwin Patel, Shreya Patin, Sarah Peachey, Tayler Polster, Samantha Puka, Lisjen Purdy, Rose Rahman, Ambreen Rastegar-lari, Nazani Rice, Samantha Richards, Kimberly Ritter, Andrew Robbins, Agnieszka Rogers, Jenna Russell, Michael Ryba, Michelle Satchithanantham, Nir Sawicki, Lea Schaefer, Angella Servi, Michael Siblani, Leila Sivaguru, Ganesan Sorenson, Emily Spalding, Melissa Spoula, Melissa Sullivan, Meghan Swenson, Jami Tailor, Krupa Thorsen, Bryan Toader, Maria Trivedi, Sonal Tylka, Barbara Vesic, Nebojsa Williams, Jacqueline Wong, Lisa Wu, Patrick Zielinski, Patricia Fourth Year Ahrens, Daniel Al Hashimi, Yasamin Au, David Avary, Ada Bajwa, Guneet Banna, Christopher Barker, Rachael Beck, Kelsey Benitez, Damaris Buboltz, Mark Buskirk, Kristen Campbell, John Cassin, Kevin Chinwala-Sachee, Jami Colasurdo, Victoria Congdon, Andrew Cucuras, Maria Davis, Kate Dyak, Lauren Edmunds, David Eleftherion, Caitlin Flamich, Lucas Froehlich, Hanna Furman, Adam Gill, Jaskirn Girgis, Christine Golden, Alexander Gonzalez, Benedicte Goodwin, Kevin Gubbins, Devon Hansen, Lauren Hays, Hannah Heier, Jayson Heisler, Alexandra Higa, Laine Hooper, Ryan Huisman, Nickolas Jakob, Abby Jenness, Jonathan Khan, Safura Koeck, Anna Kopp, Charles Macci, Tehneiyat Mauhar, Megan Meiyeppen, Shivakhaam Mergenthaler, Mathew Min, Jessica Mosellen, Erin Moser, Jess Niedergesaess, Evesar Parks, Chad Patel, Puja Patel, Sejal Patel, Sonali Peterson, Caroline Phi, Kenneth Puryear, Haley Reetz, Allyce Rindahl, Amy Roth, Ashley Schnitzer, Lisa Shahani, Dena Sloan, Stephanie Smith, Chase Sobin, Adam Taylor, Ethan Thakkar, Payal Theisen, Kelli Timmermann, Felicia Turner, Dave Urbaniak, Elizabeth Vance, Calvin Vilderman, Jane Virdi, Neeta Visk, Jennifer Weinheimer, Matt Wells, Channing White, Kristina Whitman, Victoria Williams, Avalon Witt, Ryan Woodham, Joshua Yang, Phillip

DSC_2988-2 The following members of ICO’s Class of 2014 were honored with scholarships and awards at the annual Capstone Program on Wednesday, May 14. Daniel L. Ahrens Trustees Scholarship Javeria Azhar Dr. Lorayne Pocius Politser Scholarship Illinois Optometric Education Scholarship Christopher Banna Illinois Optometric Education Scholarship Rachael Lynn Barker COVD Award for Excellence in Vision Therapy Exceptional Tutor Award Kelsey Lauren Beck Trustees Scholarship Damaris Caridad Benitez ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Victoria Layne Bolyard Student Association Scholarship Mark Roger Buboltz Trustees Scholarship Kristen M. Buskirk Optelec Lighthouse Macular Degeneration Award Kevin W. Cassin ICO Alumni Association Scholarship Walmart Scholarship Wildermuth Foundation Scholarship Andrew John Congdon Essilor Travel Grant to Academy Meeting Maria Tsambika Cucuras ARVO Travel Grant Dr. and Mrs. Rudolph H. Ehrenberg Research Award Faculty Scholarship Illinois Optometric Education Scholarship Richard J. O’Brien II Memorial Award Student Association Scholarship William Feinbloom Low Vision Award Emily Elizabeth Davis ARVO Travel Grant Kate Davis Good-Lite Pediatric Equipment Award GP Contact Lens Clinical Excellence Award Lauren Helen Dyak Southwest Contact Lens Scholarship David O. Edmunds United States Air Force Health     Professions Scholarship Caitlin A. Eleftherion Dr. Henry Luckhardt Memorial Scholarship Good-Lite Pediatric Equipment Award Lucas Stephen Flamich Metro Optics Contact Lens Scholarship Hanna Rae Froehlich Dr. George L. Demetros Memorial Scholarship Wildermuth Foundation Scholarship Alexander Golden Jewish Vocational Service Scholarship Benedicte Gonzalez ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Lauren Anne Hansen Trustees Scholarship Hannah Jane Hays Elmer and Blanche Pieper Memorial Scholarship Trustees Scholarship Alisa Kourtney Hickman C. Clayton Powell Scholarship ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Laine S. Higa Dr. Hans and Clara Davis Zimmerman     Foundation Scholarship Abby Lee Jakob American Academy of Optometry Travel Grant –     Illinois Chapter Cribb Leadership and Service Award ICO Alumni Association Scholarship Dr. Stanley Pearle Scholarship Walman Optical Scholarship Colleague of the Year Award Anna Koeck Canela Software Scholarship Trustees Scholarship Élaina Y. Kuang Exceptional Tutor Award Patrick Lee Dr. Derrald Taylor Low Vision Residency Award Rachel Boram Lee Exceptional Tutor Award Tiffany Anise Lue ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Siva Meiyeppen Exceptional Tutor Award Daisy Mendez ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Erin Elizabeth Mosellen Trustees Scholarship Jess Martin Moser Marchon Eyewear Practice Management Award Alisa Nola Polly Flink Eastland Memorial Award Stella Onyekwelu ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Natelle and Curt Brown Endowment Jennifer Leanne Pasciak ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Boston Seth Perkins Providence Baptist Church Scholarship Amy Louise Rindahl Dr. Lawrence G. Gray Memorial Scholarship Elmer and Blanche Pieper Memorial Scholarship Trustees Scholarship Lauren Sanchez ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Lillian Sarabia ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Erin Marie Sinkoff E. Richard Tennant Memorial Scholarship Stephanie M. Sloan Philip E. Wells Trust Award Davis M. Staley United States Air Force Health     Professions Scholarship April Joy Stursma ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Kelli Marie Theisen Certificate of Commendations – Highest ICO Score     on Part I-NBEO Beta Sigma Kappa Medal Exceptional Tutor Award Trustees Scholarship Valedictory Award Felicia Jean Timmermann Metro Optics Contact Lens Scholarship Calvin Vance III ICO Scholarship for Underrepresented Populations Devon Renee Veit 2014 Award Of Excellence in Contact Lens     Patient Care Eschenbach Low Vision Student Award Matthew Robert Weinheimer Colonel Bzdula Student of the Year Award United States Navy Health Professions Scholarship Kevan M. Whelan Michigan Foundation for Vision     Awareness Scholarship Victoria Lynn Whitman Dr. Deannda Roder Memorial Scholarship Ryan Jeffrey Witt Alcon 4th Year Optometry Student 2014     Case Report Faculty Scholarship Lawrence P. Feigenbaum Clinical Optometry     Memorial Award Student Association Scholarship Wildermuth Foundation Scholarship

The following letter to the editor, written by ICO President Arol Augsburger, OD, appeared in the March 10 edition of Crain’s Chicago Business. Get a Complete Eye Exam Technology is a vital component of how eye doctors examine, diagnose and treat patients, which is why Illinois College of Optometry leaders and students were intrigued by Crain’s story about Opternative and its online method of testing vision (“Need your eyes checked? What if you could do it online?” Feb. 26). Apparently, the Opternative technology merely addresses the vision and glasses component of eye care. We’d like to point out that there is much more to good eye and vision care besides measuring vision on the eye chart and prescribing glasses. Doctors of optometry diagnose and manage eye infections, ocular allergies, crossed and lazy eyes, eye injuries and sight-threatening conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and stroke. Countless patients have pursued an eye examination with the intent of simply getting new glasses only to be diagnosed with a serious eye or health problem. When people do not get regular eye exams, they are missing an opportunity to prevent disease and catch serious conditions early. From a public health perspective, we’re concerned about any tool that intentionally or unintentionally delays the diagnosis of a serious health problem. While Opternative has found a creative approach to the vision and refraction portion of the eye exam, it should not replace a dilated comprehensive eye exam by an eye doctor. Arol Augsburger President Illinois College of Optometry Chicago