Marshall B. Ketchum University (MBKU), has honored two Artists of Philanthropy for their distinguished support at its Circle of Vision Luncheon held on January 24. Honorees Robert J. Day, O.D., and Donald E. Jarnagin, O.D., were recognized at a gathering of MBKU alumni and friends at the Summit House Restaurant in Fullerton.
"This year we are presenting Circle of Vision Awards for Distinguished Philanthropy to two very deserving alumni," said MBKU President Kevin L. Alexander, O.D., Ph.D. "The generosity of Doctors Day and Jarnagin is exceptional, is long-standing, evokes change, and is truly appreciated.
"As the theme of today's luncheon is, Artist of Philanthropy, I would submit to you that the word for the day is imagination – for without imagination, there is no creativity, no invention, and no preparation for the future," continued Dr. Alexander. "That's why at Marshall B. Ketchum University, our vision is to reimagine the future of health care education. The generosity of our two honorees supports our vision."
Dr. Robert Day, a 1976 graduate of MBKU's Southern California College of Optometry, holds a degree in finance and has served as a U.S. Marine. A native of Colorado, he owned an optometry practice in Sterling from 1976 to 1988. Following optometric practice, Dr. Day entered into many business ventures, but attributes his early success to the optometric degree he earned at SCCO, stating that it provided the initial capital to participate in multiple business endeavors.
Dr. Day made the first major pledge under the new University name following its incorporation on April 3, 2013. He noted at the time that he was inspired to pledge $100,000 to the ACHIEVING 20|20 Campaign due to the visionary leadership that is integrating optometry with other health care professions.
Also honored for distinguished philanthropy was, Dr. Donald Janagin, a 1970 graduate of MBKU's SCCO. A private practitioner in Glendale, Arizona for over 40 years, he became Dean of the Arizona College of Optometry at Midwestern University in 2010.
A former member of MBKU's Board of Trustees, Dr. Jarnagin has been supportive of students at SCCO and has endowed two scholarships that promote leadership and ethics. The endowments have provided more than $112,000 in scholarship support to 110 students since 1998. In addition, a $250,000 gift to the renovation of the University Eye Center at Fullerton in 2004, resulted in the naming of the Jarnagin Center for Primary Eye Care.
Dr. Jarnagin has served as President of the American Optometric Association, was named an SCCO Distinguished Alumnus and an SCCO Centennial Honoree. He has also received numerous volunteer and service awards from his community.
He served as a Captain and Optometry Officer in the Medical Service Corps of the U.S. Army. After returning to Arizona he went into practice with his childhood optometrist, became a full partner, and eventually took over the group practice at the time of his partner's retirement.
About Marshall B. Ketchum University
Established in 1904, the Marshall B. Ketchum University (MBKU), is a private, non-profit, educational institution. The University confers a four-year, professional degree, Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) and a Master of Science in Vision Science (M.S.) degree. MBKU's developing School of Physician Assistant Studies expects to award a Master of Medical Sciences (MMS) degree. In December 2013, MBKU announced plans to establish a College of Pharmacy.
The University's superior 109-year-old optometric clinical education program provides patient care experiences in community optometric clinics; exposure to the delivery of optometric care in multi-disciplinary settings; and experiences in practices serving a wide variety of ethnic and socio-economic patient groups. Marshall B. Ketchum University owns and operates two premier eye and vision care centers¬ – University Eye Center at Fullerton located on its campus in Fullerton, CA, and University Eye Center at Los Angeles located on Broadway at Martin Luther King Boulevard near downtown Los Angeles.
Accreditations:
Marshall B. Ketchum University: Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Southern California College of Optometry: Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) of the American Optometric Association.
School of Physician Assistant Studies: The University has applied for provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on the Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The School of Physician Assistant Studies at Marshall B. Ketchum University anticipates matriculating its first class in August 2014, pending accreditation-provisional from ARC-PA. Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status for a new PA program that has not yet enrolled students, but at the time of its initial accreditation review, has demonstrated its preparedness to initiate a program in accordance with the accreditation Standards.