University to launch School of Health Studies and Education
St. Joe’s announced the formation of the School of Health Studies and Education, which will officially open in the fall of 2019.
Arrangements for the new school, revealed on July 19, will begin this fall, at which time a search for the school’s dean will commence. Programs in the new school, which are currently housed under the College of Arts and Sciences, are now enrolling.
“Our goal is to produce dynamic leaders who understand the critical role that health and education play in transforming communities,” President Mark C. Reed said in a statement.
Reed cited public health challenges, including the opioid epidemic and increased healthcare costs, as motivation to expand the university’s focus in these disciplines.
The new school will combine programs previously in the College of Arts and Sciences to prepare students for a variety of career fields such as teaching, special education, autism support services and health administration.
Programs such as the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support will be housed within the new school, while the Institute for Clinical Bioethics will remain a standalone program; both will provide hands-on experiential and professional learning opportunities for students.
The addition of the School of Health Studies and Education marks the first time in over 30 years that a school has been added to St. Joe’s. The College of Business and Administration (renamed the Haub School of Business) was established in 1981 to join the existing College of Arts and Sciences.
At a Jan. 24 Faculty Senate meeting, Ronald Dufresne, Ph.D., president of Faculty Senate, pointed out the university had no written or formal process for creating a new school. From a governance standpoint, the formation of the new school is unchartered territory.
The School of Health Studies and Education will be formed from already existing majors and minors.
“Organizing these programs under the umbrella of a new school creates opportunities for synergy among naturally connected programs and promotes greater visibility among prospective students,” Reed said in the July 19 announcement.
Shaily Menon, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the establishment of the new School of Health Studies and Education, “brings us [St. Joe’s] closer to becoming a truly comprehensive university.”
The creation of the new school will allow for better integration of specific programs in health and education, according to Dufresne.
“I’m excited by the prospects of interdisciplinary programs,” Dufresne said. “I think that we have so much great intellectual capital on campus that it’s possible that the new school would allow us to collaborate in ways that we maybe haven’t yet been collaborating.”
Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the Institute of Clinical Bioethics (ICB) will be housed within the new school. The ICB will, in fact, remain an independent program.