SCO Hosts State Day 2021

SCO Hosts State Day 2021

More than a decade after Southern College of Optometry became the first of the nation’s optometry colleges to create State Day, the annual tradition is still going strong, even during a pandemic. The 2021 event went virtual, offering national and regional optometry leaders the opportunity to interact with a large audience of students and faculty via remote video.

An evening program and Q&A session centered around the state of the profession, scope of practice advances, and current legislative issues. There was also discussion about how optometry had responded to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Panelists included:

• American Optometric Association President Dr. William Reynolds, a 1985 SCO graduate,
• Dr. Sherroll A. Reynolds (National Optometric Association President),
• Dr. Stacey Meier (Arizona Executive Director and SCO Board member),
• Dr. Lori Grover (SCO AOA Trustee),
• Dr. Erick Henderson, (Pennsylvania),
• Tessa Lau, '22 (SCO’s AOSA State Day Chair), and
• Moderator Dr. James E. Venable, (SCO VP of Clinical Programs).

Prior to and following State Day, a significant number of state associations were able to meet virtually one on one with interested students from several different states. These meetings gave students a networking opportunity to learn more about the state of the profession in their home state or in states where they’re interested in practicing.