College of Health Sciences and Pharmacy

Interim Dean: Dr. Gregory J. Paveza

The College of Health Sciences is the unit within the university responsible for developing and administering programs related to the education of health care professionals. This unit consists of the Departments of Health Information Administration, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Public Health. The Wellness/Health Center is a service unit within the College.

Students are educated in a caring climate, which fosters a deep commitment to their personal and professional growth and instills within them an appreciation for the personal and professional growth of others. All the professional programs offered in the college are accredited by their national professional organization or in candidacy for accreditation.

As a community of scholars, faculty and students work with communities to develop and implement collaborative teaching, research, and educational opportunities that enhance health and wellness. Graduates are prepared to successfully pass their professional licensure/credentialing examinations and to deliver quality health care to all clients.

Educational Philosophy Statement

The College of Health Sciences is committed to the philosophy of interdisciplinary education. Students enrolled in the college for a degree or a minor are required to take the Service Learning course (H SC 3321 ) and the Introduction to Health Professions (H SC 2150 ) course. Service learning is a strategy that enables students to learn and develop their leadership skills through active participation in a structured service project that helps meet the community needs.

The experiences bring the students out of the classroom into the “real world” to enable them to utilize their skills and develop their critical thinking abilities and group problem-solving proficiency. Service learning differs from the traditional clinical affiliation experience because it extends learning beyond the four walls of the clinical environment to foster the character development of students by involving them in the communities, thus promoting their altruistic spirit. The Service Learning course includes both a didactic/educational component and a service component that provides opportunity for students to lead and make meaningful contributions to the ethnic minority communities.

College Core Values, Mission and Vision Statements

The College accepts the central core values, mission, and vision of the university and provides health sciences education opportunities for students without regard to race, age, gender, religion, ethnic origin, or disability.

Core Values

Chicago State University, College of Health Sciences faculty and staff values the following:

Student learning and development
Life-long learning
Diversity
Accountability and responsibility
Community service
Critical thinking
Interdisciplinary education
Empowerment and social justice
Transformative leadership
Professional integrity

Mission

The College of Health Sciences at Chicago State University educates a caring and competent non-traditional student body, many of whom are underrepresented in the healthcare professions. Through innovative teaching strategies and interdisciplinary educational experiences, we empower our graduates to be critical thinkers, lifelong learners, advocates for reducing health disparities, and providers of quality health care services.

Vision

The College of Health Sciences at Chicago State University, strives to be recognized as a national leader in interdisciplinary healthcare education and excellence in teaching, research, and service. We strive to inspire and prepare our students to seek and create innovative healthcare opportunities locally, nationally, and globally.

Admission and Graduation Processes

Admission into the university and declaration of intent to major in any health science program does not imply acceptance into the upper division professional phases of the programs. Acceptance into the professional phases is competitive and is based on academic performance in the pre-professional coursework. Each professional program has separate and distinct application procedures; therefore, requirements and procedures for admission vary among each of the college programs. Persons intending to seek admission to any program are urged to contact the appropriate department chairperson as early in their academic careers as possible for programmatic and admission guidance. Admission also requires completed medical and dental examinations, a recent PPD test or chest x-ray, and a current immunization record on file in the major department and also in the Wellness/Health Center.

In general, admission is limited to students who have completed the program prerequisites and the minimum required semester hours. Requirements for each degree program appear under the appropriate academic departments.

College-Level Student Grievance Procedure

The programs in the College of Health Sciences provide professional-level students with a written copy of student and instructor responsibilities and procedures for enforcing them. Reasons for grievances might include:

Admission to professional course sequence.
Admission to clinical experiences.
Evaluation of student performance in courses, clinical settings, or other program-related activities.

Student grievance procedures and guidelines and the Petition for Hearing are available from the respective academic departments.

Steps Prior to Hearing

To initiate a formal grievance, the student must file a completed Petition for Hearing form with the student’s department chairperson.
Before a formal grievance can rise to the college level, it must have proceeded through the prior levels of deliberation indicated below (Each department has detailed procedures for action at each level).
Conference between instructor and student.
Conference between chairperson and student.
Hearing before the department level grievance committee.

College-Level Grievance Process

The dean will appoint a grievance committee to hear the complaint and provide advice. The ordinary rights of parties at a hearing (student or instructor) shall apply, including the right to notice of hearing and decision reached, the right to be present at the hearing, and the right to present and inspect evidence. Members of the committee shall determine specific procedures for the hearing of each case. The primary role of the grievance committee is to ascertain whether the department followed their published policies and procedures. Following the hearing, the committee will present its findings and recommendations to the dean. The dean’s decision will be communicated to the department chairperson, to the instructor, and to the student. The decision of the dean will be final. If the student requests, and the instructor does not object, the dean may resolve the problem without the intervention of a grievance committee.

Composition of College-Level Grievance Committee

The Dean of the College or his/her representative from the College of Health Sciences.
One faculty member from the department involved.
One faculty member from the other academic departments in the college.
One College of Health Sciences student not from the department.
One student from the department involved.

Resolution of the committee will be based on three-fifths majority vote.