Page 13 - WesternU View Summer 2019

excellence, but in the WesternU way. This idea of being perform this task? Rarely do you measure competency
fair and respectful and trying to always do what is best just by a paper and pencil test. It usually has to do with
for our students, our faculty and our staff. To be an attitudes, knowledge and skills. So one of the things we
effective provost requires always attending to the culture are going to be looking for is to have the educational
of the University, a culture of inclusiveness and of respect, process be up-to-date and sensitive to the learning style of
both internally and externally.” this generation of students so that we can maximize not
only their positive experience but their ability to be high-
Baron joined WesternU in May 2018 as vice president for
quality clinicians or academics as they move forward in
external and clinical relations. He was selected by
WesternU President Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD, to their careers.”
become provost and senior vice president following a WesternU will look to expand programs on its Pomona,
national search that began in fall 2018. California and Lebanon, Oregon campuses as well as
internationally. One key area of opportunity is behavioral
“Dr. Baron is a truly accomplished and senior academic
health.
health leader whom the University is beyond fortunate to
have serve as our new Provost,” Wilson said. “His career “That, to me, is a missing piece in our current WesternU
has spanned the country and, indeed, the world with puzzle. Not just social work or psychology, but
excellence in teaching, research, clinical care, integration of behavioral health into all of our colleges,”
administration and community service. He will lead as a Baron said.
mentor in each and all of these essential areas.”
Such integration might include the College of Graduate
WesternU will show respect to the future patients of its Nursing starting a psychiatric nurse practitioner program
students by providing the highest quality educational and the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
product possible, Baron said. integrating behavioral
health and primary care, he
“One of the things I’m
continued.
committed to is training all “As provost, I’m very much
of our graduate health “This is a hot topic
students here on how they invested in making sure that we nationally, and we want to
will be practicing in the expand this to all of our
future,” he said. “So we are are ahead of the curve in regard schools,” Baron said.
looking at innovative “Really integrating
models. We are not going to to our education and the behavioral mental health to
do it the way we’ve always allow our students to be
done it, because we’ve done products and services we are better qualified as providers,
it that way forever. But how academics and researchers
do we make it better? going to get involved with.” moving forward.”
Certainly, always hang on to
WesternU’s international
what was good, but how do opportunities are nothing
we train our graduates? How do we conduct research in a
short of extraordinary, said Baron, who traveled recently
way that is going to be meaningful moving forward? As to India and Egypt.
provost, I’m very much invested in making sure that we
are ahead of the curve in regard to our education and the “The world needs institutions that are focused just on
products and services we are going to get involved with.” graduate health care education, which is what we do,”
Baron said. “So we are looking at innovative ways to
WesternU will look internally at the most effective and
create training for international colleagues by sharing our
efficient way to teach and to assess competencies, Baron expertise here at WesternU.”
said. The old way of just getting 75 percent correct on a
test is not the best way to assess if a student has The need and the desire to work with WesternU is very
established a competency in a particular procedure or high, Baron said.
technique, he said.
“We are able to demonstrate our motivation is not just to
“We will be looking at innovative and creative ways to take money from them to support projects here, but that
not only have teaching be more engaging for the students, we are looking for international partners in training. So
but also for the assessment to be a more meaningful certainly we want to make sure that we can have some
assessment,” Baron said. “Do they have a competency to funds to reinvest in our campuses in Pomona and
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