“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you’re a leader.” —John Quincy Adams

Since being named dean of the College of Optometry in July 2021, Linda Rouse has been working with her administrative team to develop a path for the college to continue to grow and have an even bigger impact on students, the university, and the community.

Originally from a large Italian family in Hollywood, Florida, Rouse earned her undergraduate degree from Stetson University in Florida, and then completed her optometric education and residency at the Illinois College of Optometry. She and her husband both had offers to continue working in Illinois, but they decided to return to South Florida to be close to her parents and to start their own family.

After 10 years in private practice, Rouse was offered a faculty position at NSU—a school she had watched grow up from a campus in the cow fields to the university it is today. At the time, Rouse’s two daughters attended NSU University School. Being able to work close enough to volunteer at the school or drop in for lunch was part of the draw.

“I was already part of the NSU family as a parent, and I really appreciated the education and environment they provided.” Rouse said. “Now I was on the same campus with my children. It was a great transition in my career at that time.”

Rouse has continued her career path at NSU because of her love for the profession and the opportunities that NSU provides for students and faculty members. The college has worked to integrate the curriculum with the clinical experience and continues to develop cutting-edge research. Rouse appreciates the partnership NSU has developed with the community, providing vision care to patients who otherwise would not receive needed assistance, as well as the growth the college has experienced and the school’s long-standing culture of inclusion.

“I have a lot of pride for NSU and our college in that we’re always looking forward. We’re always setting goals that are high, but achievable,” she said. “Also, the College of Optometry has consistently had amazing diversity and inclusion in our student body and our faculty.

“We had a donor who wanted to provide scholarships for underrepresented students and came to NSU College of Optometry because they saw this is the fabric of who we’ve always been. There is always room for improvement, but to be recognized that we’ve made this a priority for so many years makes me very proud of the college.”

After being appointed to the position of dean, Rouse held a retreat with her administrative staff members, many of whom are also new to their jobs, and together, they began to formulate a plan for the future of the College of Optometry.

“We’re putting together not just an integrated curriculum, but also a vision to create centers of excellence that will provide unparalleled vision care and student doctor experiences in three big areas,” Rouse said.

Those centers of excellence include

• vision rehabilitation and research to help those who suffer from “low-vision,” including patients with macular degeneration, glaucoma, and acquired brain injuries as well as children who have congenital vision problems
• vision development and learning and myopia control to enhance the visual-motor and perceptual-cognitive deficiencies in the pediatric population and to address the growing problem of progressive nearsightedness in children leading to potential visual impairment including blindness later in life
• sports vision training and performance, which will develop ways to improve skills like reaction time and hand-eye coordination, while also finding methods to treat the vision complications athletes face after an injury

“These three areas clinically not only will give our students the NSU edge, but we will be training the next generation of optometric physicians to lead our profession in these areas and one day be considered experts in the field,” Rouse said. “We’re also going to give back to patients in our community and expand the vision care they have access to. We feel that it’s going to be impactful years and years down the line.”

Rouse also hopes to encourage investment in the college endowment scholarship fund to continue to attract the best students who not only strengthen the program, but also the profession. NSU students have already experienced much success in the field of optometry, and Rouse is working to build relationships with college alumni to recognize the strides they have made and are continuing to make. Her goal is to learn from alumni and use that knowledge in her efforts to improve the college and its impact and reach in the community.

“To dream more, that’s what we are trying to do. We’re trying to dream big. How are we going to make our program better? How are we going to make it better for our students? Then we can learn more, do more, and become more,” she said.

“At the end of the day, I hope to leave the college in a better space than when I took this position, and to make that impact at the college level, at a university level, and in our community,” Rouse concluded.

For more information on how to support the NSU College of Optometry, please contact Nathalie Sloane, director of development for NSU University Advancement, at (954) 684-2456 or via email at nsloane@nova.edu.