KEANmag
3
president’s message
At Kean University, preparing students to meet the demands of an evolving
job market is a priority. We survey data and watch trends so that as a university,
Kean can respond and prepare students for professional success. In short, Kean
constantly seeks to develop academic programs that put our graduates where
the jobs are.
One industry that is expected to see significant job growth in the next
decade is the allied and professional health field. Careers in health care –
Physician Assistant, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Nurse and
Speech Pathologist – are considered some of the fastest-growing jobs in the
nation. Kean University has programs for all of them, some new and some well
established, but all offering professional opportunity to our students.
Kean’s new doctoral program in Physical Therapy welcomed its first cohort
of students in May. It offers a rigorous course of study that opens educational
doors in New Jersey for would-be physical therapists, many of whom used
to have to head out of state to pursue their degrees. Another new program,
the Master of Arts in Physician Assistant Studies, is in development and
is expected to launch in May 2017. The program will graduate Physician
Assistants with an appreciation for family and patient-centered primary care.
Both programs are helping to address healthcare gaps in the state.
The Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant programs are housed in Kean’s
new North Avenue Academic Building (NAAB), a structure that enhances the
beauty of the campus, but more importantly, is a state-of-art facility equipped
with the tools and technology to provide a world-class Kean education. Joining
them in NAAB is Computer Science, which continues to produce some of the
finest computer scientists and information technology graduates in the state.
Kean’s interdisciplinary approach in computer science has students working
across disciplines, preparing for the real world. Our students have collaborated
with OT to develop a Google Maps overlay to help those with disabilities
navigate in their neighborhoods; the School of Sustainability Sciences to
analyze high and low temperatures to track global warming; and the History
Department to create an interactive website for a World War II archive project.
In all of our programs, Kean students are pursuing their passions, with an eye
toward where their educational pursuits will take them after graduation. The
University will continue to lay the groundwork for their success on the job and
in life.
As alumni, I invite you to be part of our thriving campus community by
attending our alumni or cultural events, being a mentor or offering internships
to our students, or contributing to scholarships. Kean has a long tradition of
excellence, and you, our alumni, are the pillars on which we continue to build
our proud reputation.
Warm Regards,
Dawood Farahi, Ph.D.
