Dean's Message

“Me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow.” –Toni Morrison in Beloved

Twelve years ago, I became the dean of The Ohio State College of Optometry. I used a quote from Toni Morrison then, about dreaming before you lead. I returned to her for inspiration today.

I often tell the story of 1995-96. I was a candidate for a tenure-track faculty position at the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry in a search fraught with controversy, and I didn’t get a job offer. At the same time, I had thrown my hat in the ring for a faculty position here. I’d interviewed several times and came for a last interview in January 1996 on a snowy weekend. My intent was to tell interim dean John Schoessler that I had decided to stay on at Berkeley as a research staff optometrist for the foreseeable future. He had other ideas; he had me meet with administrators in the College of Medicine, and, as part of my itinerary, to attend Glenn Fry’s funeral service. At that moving service, I felt as if an academic leadership baton was being tossed high into the air and that I was supposed to be here to catch it.

July 1, 2026 is the anniversary of my first day at Ohio State, 30 years ago. My yesterdays are easy to remember. I came here as an assistant professor and led two large-scale National Eye Institute-funded studies. I’ve been the inaugural Fry professor for 27 years. I’ve taught and/or supervised 30 cohorts of optometry graduates and advised eight PhD students to completion. I’ve chaired the Biomedical Sciences Institutional Review Board for 21 years. I served as the interim dean of the College of Public Health and the interim provost.

Across those 30 years, I have had the privilege to call the alumni, students, staff, and faculty of The Ohio State University College of Optometry my friends and colleagues. We have done so many wonderful things: building a new clinic; conducting high-impact research; putting Optometry firmly on Ohio State’s map; admitting the best students; hiring the best staff and faculty; being the best damn optometry program in the land. I thank everyone and this venerable institution for every moment.

My last day as dean will be June 30, 2026. I will take a contractual 10-month sabbatical and return to the faculty at the start of summer term 2027.

My alma mater may be UC Berkeley, but Ohio State is the university of my heart.

Sincerely,

Karla Zadnik, OD, PhD
Dean, Glenn A. Fry Professor in Optometry and Physiological Optics