Describe the current state of the college?

Harris College is a vibrant learning community of faculty and scholars committed to improving the health of the communities served by our graduates. We have a robust enrollment, solid academic programs, innovative faculty and staff members and motivated students. We are particularly known for our innovative points of interaction with our healthcare community through programs such as our interprofessional education endeavors, Center for Oncology Education and Research, Evidence Based Practice Fellowship, and Systematic Review training program. Our reach extends globally through scholarly collaboration and student study abroad programs.

Describe your vision for the college.

I believe we will continue our attention to excellence in all our curricula and programs as well as our interaction with our external partners. We will use the next academic year to refine and refocus our strategic plan, with attention to increasing the spirit of collaboration across our academic units.

What challenges do Harris graduates face in the profession? How is TCU preparing them to meet those challenges?

Healthcare is experiencing a knowledge explosion that makes it impossible to teach students everything they will need to know to be successful professionals. Instead, our focus is on teaching them how to access the knowledge resources needed to support lifelong learning. We also prepare students for clinical practice through our practice labs and simulation centers.

You started at TCU as a lecturer more than 21 years ago. What’s changed since then?

When I came to TCU in 1994, Harris College was composed of one academic discipline. We now have multiple disciplines that allow natural collaboration for interprofessional research, education and practice. The increased profiles of both TCU and Harris College have increased the academic profile of our students and faculty. We are more closely aligned with our community practice partners that support all components of our mission.