Blog

Leaving a job in higher education can feel like closing a chapter in your career. Whether you are moving to a new institution, getting a promotion, or pursuing other opportunities - how you leave matters! Burning bridges with colleagues, supervisors, or the institution itself can create lasting challenges for your career. Maintaining professional relationships when you leave higher education opens doors for future collaborations, references, and personal growth. Let me poi

(This is a sneak peak of the new book that I am writing with Dr. Josephine Ibironke. We are excited about it and hope you will be, too!) Have you ever heard or read that academic leadership is one of the most complex endeavors that a person can undertake? We have heard these statements many times and believe them to be true! Having both served in faculty and administrative roles in higher education, we have lived this experience. Our careers have been challenging, rewardi

I recently read the book Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet. This book, written in 2012, chronicles Capt. Marquet’s experiences in leading a nuclear submarine with a new approach. Frustrated with a top-down, unquestioning approach by most military leaders, he set out to modify his submarine. He believed in a leader-leader approach of full empowerment of his staff. For me, this book was a hard read because of all the US Navy terminology such as XO, Nav, Sonarman, or

Some time ago, I wrote a blog about optometry interviews. At that time, I recommended three things: 1) "Tell some stories!" 2) "Show your personality!" 3) "Demonstrate your passion!" I still believe this is very valuable information, but I do want to dig into this topic a little deeper. It is true that preparing for an optometry school interview can feel a bit overwhelming. The competition is real and the interview is a critical step in the admissions process. I've oft

Eyes in Eyecare produces an annual report from surveying practicing optometrists in the USA and Canada. This year, they summed up their survey by stating, "Overall, optometrists in 2025 are engaged with advocacy efforts and new innovations in the field, with their average awareness and adoption rate of new eyecare innovations higher than 2024 averages. Overall debt among respondents is lower than that reported in the 2024 survey, and the current average salary has risen; how

In the fast-evolving world of optometric education, change is a constant. But, in recent years, leadership shifts are becoming more and...