When Maureen Thompson began her career in nursing, she never expected to go into higher education. But when, while working at Syracuse’s Crouse Hospital, she had an opportunity to train new nurses, she found she had a talent for teaching. She took that talent to Syracuse University, where she became an adjunct instructor teaching undergraduate nursing students, and eventually earned a master’s in nursing and a Ph.D. in child and family studies. She became a full-time faculty member in 1984, and has been educating students in nursing and health and wellness ever since.

Now, Thompson is spearheading the effort to establish a new academic program in health and wellness in the College of Human Ecology, which would provide students with a well-rounded education in community health and prepare them to enter the fields of health education, health sciences, or fitness. “As healthcare is shifting from an institutional focus to a community focus, there is an increasing need for allied health professionals,” she says. “The health and wellness program would prepare students to meet that need by providing them with a solid understanding of individual, family, and community health and the interplay among the three.”

Students in the program would take core courses in community health, then choose elective courses to pursue one of three tracks in community health education, fitness, or health sciences. They would also have the opportunity to draw from the other programs in the college, which include a strong community emphasis. “The program is a natural fit in the college because of the interdisciplinary emphasis of its mission,” Thompson says.

Service learning would be an important facet of the program, placing students in the community early and often to work on real, defined community health needs. “Service learning enhances the community through the service provided,” says Thompson. “At the same time, it has powerful learning consequences for the participating students.”