CATALOG 2018 / 2019 Board of Trustees No person shall, on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or Douglas C. Clark, OD Chair national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to Amanda Brewer-Lord, OD ’97 Stacey J. Meier, OD ’84 discrimination or harassment under any program or activity at Southern College of Optometry. Alumni Council Representative David Cockrell, OD ’81 The college is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Wil McGriff, OD Steven L. Compton, OD ’78 Faculty Representative This edition of the Southern College of Optometry catalog is effective for the academic Ryan H. Powell, OD ’02 Kailey Soileau, ’20 James D. Sandefur, OD ’65 Student Representative year 2018-2019 and contains information current as of July 2018. Inasmuch as changes may Carla D. Sanderson, PhD be necessary from time to time, this catalog should not be construed as constituting a contract Dave Sattler between the college and any person. Lynn T. Shaw, Jr. A. L. Spivey, III, OD ’67 Stuart Thomas, OD ’84 Leticia W. Towns, FACHE Cristie Upshaw Travis, MS For information: Terry L. Tucker, OD ’84 Southern College of Optometry • 1245 Madison Avenue • Memphis, TN 38104 Christopher W. Wroten, OD ’02 (901) 722.3200 • (800) 238.0180 • www.sco.edu The College ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Doctor of Optometry ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Admissions......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Student Life........................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Curriculum ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Course Descriptions..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Academic Policies ........................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Scholarships ................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Student Awards Programs ....................................................................................................................................................... 26 Financial Planning ........................................................................................................................................................................ 27 Tuition and Fees ............................................................................................................................................................................ 29 Faculty .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 Adjunct Faculty ............................................................................................................................................................................. 33 Directory .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 35 College Calendar ........................................................................................................................................................................... 36 OUR MISSION IS TO LEAD THE PROFESSION BY EDUCATING THE BEST POSSIBLE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, PROMOTING LIFELONG LEARNING, The College AND FOSTERING A PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO SERVICE. 2 SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY Accreditation The Eye Center, approximately a 50,000 square foot facility, is the center- Southern College of Optometry is accredited by the Southern Association of piece of clinical education for SCO students. Students hone their clinical skills Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award the Doctor by assisting experienced staff optometrists and physicians in providing care for of Optometry degree. Contact SACSCOC at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, patients in the areas of primary care optometry, pediatrics and vision therapy, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation contact lenses, eye disease, geriatrics and low vision, and dispensing. SCO of Southern College of Optometry. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools also operates external clinics to serve the Memphis community and to provide Commission on Colleges is to be contacted only if there is evidence that appears additional clinical opportunities for its students. Externship sites are available to support the institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement or throughout the country for the advanced clinical education of fourth-year standard. students. Southern College of Optometry has been accredited since 1940 by the SCO’s external clinics provide additional care to many thousands of Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric individuals and give SCO students, interns and residents unique exposure to the Association, 243 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141, telephone number: provision of eye health and vision care in the private practice setting. (314) 991-4100, to award the Doctor of Optometry degree. At University Eye Care of SCO (UEC), interns experience a smaller, slower- The college is a member of Tennessee Independent Colleges and paced independent private practice setting. Optometric physicians provide Universities and a charter member of the Association of Schools and Colleges clinical instruction in a wide-range of primary care services with an emphasis on of Optometry. Courses leading to the Doctor of Optometry degree are approved contact lenses and the needs of the faculty, staff, and students of the University for the training of veterans. Documents describing the college’s accreditation of Memphis. may be reviewed by contacting the Vice President for Academic Affairs, or you FocalPoint at Crosstown Concourse (FP), SCO’s newest external clinical may check the accrediting bodies’ websites. setting, is the college’s first inter-professional facility. Here interns work with optometric physicians, medical physicians and mid-level health care provid- Facilities ers from many disciplines to provide the latest in patient engagement and Southern College of Optometry was founded in Memphis in 1932 and has clinical care. been located at its present site since 1954. The college operates and maintains After class, students may participate in a variety of team sports and athletic excellent facilities that meet the educational needs of students, faculty, and staff. endeavors at the Activity Center. Also available for spouses and guests, the The Southern College of Optometry campus consists of five buildings, Center houses an indoor basketball/volleyball court, two racquetball courts, landscaped green space and plenty of free and secure parking. exercise equipment, lockers and showers, and student organization offices. The “tower” that houses the classrooms, laboratories, the library, admin- istrative and faculty offices is an eleven-story building built in 1970. To meet Housing the needs of contemporary optometry students, a state-of-the-art academic According to the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association, addition to this facility was completed in 2013 which added more than 23,000 Memphis is one of the most affordable cities with populations of more than square feet of flexible classroom space to the campus. The first floor houses 500,000 in the nation. Although, SCO does not offer on-campus housing, the several student service areas like the Bookstore, the mailroom, lounge area Admissions Office assists students in several ways to find affordable housing. and various study rooms. The library occupies the fifth floor and contains visual The Admissions Office holds a housing fair each spring where entering students science and related materials. The Learning Resource Center (LRC) provides tour local apartment complexes, discuss options with current students, and computers and other technological resources to support student education. The meet potential roommates. Most entering students find suitable apartments student dining area is located on the fourth floor, which was renovated in 2017. soon after their arrival in the city. Rental housing is readily available, and many The tenth floor houses our Financial Aid Office and the Hayes Center for Practice apartment buildings are located in the vicinity of the college. Contact the Excellence, which provides educational resources for the best solutions and Admissions Office at (800) 238-0180 for further information. ideas on how to own and manage a private practice.