Strickland, UH optometry professor and assistant vice chancellor for international studies and programs, received a Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) from The New England College of Optometry (NECO) and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Optometric Association (AOA).

NECO is the oldest continuously operating school of optometry in the United States and has also instituted the largest international optometric program in the world. The AOA is an advocate for the profession and serves optometrists in meeting public eye care needs, with its objectives centered on improving the quality and availability of eye and vision care.

Receiving NECO's Doctor of Humane Letters for demonstrating outstanding achievement and exhibiting a distinguished record of accomplishment in optometry, vision science and community service, Strickland was instrumental in creating and establishing the Partnership Foundation for Optometric Education, the seeds of which were sown in 1993 during the Summit of the Financing of Optometric Education when the need was identified for a national endowment of more than $1 billion to support the educational institutions. Strickland proposed a model in which one dollar would be added to the registration fees charged by the schools and colleges of optometry for each credit hour of continuing professional education provided to practitioners. He maintained the momentum for this concept, transformed it into a viable and robust organization and expanded it to include not only the schools and colleges, but also the major national providers of continuing optometric education, ophthalmic and pharmaceutical industry partners, as well as several state and regional providers.

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Contact: Lisa Merkl
lkmerkl@uh.edu
713-743-8192
University of Houston
20-Jun-2006