Introduction
Dear Graduate Student,
Welcome to the Department of Nutritional Sciences!
Congratulations on the successful completion of all prerequisites required for admission into the graduate program in Nutritional Sciences in the College of Allied Health.
Nutrition is a science, a relatively new science. As a truly interdisciplinary science, it encompasses knowledge from chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, economics, political science and maybe others disciplines. While much has been discovered in recent years, many questions remain to be answered. Research is the key to providing the answers. Knowledge of research methodologies is a cornerstone of graduate education.
To some extent, nutrition can also be viewed as an art. Learning the facts is one challenge, but transferring facts into sound dietary advice is another. Communication that motivates and inspires people to make significant and life-long change is an art.
The faculty in Nutritional Sciences is here to guide you in this journey through both the science and the art. You will have many opportunities for interaction with the faculty. We will get to know you. We are here to help you learn. Given the ever-changing nature of nutrition, we are all learning together. So as you begin your graduate work, please realize that students and faculty are all in this journey together.
Again, we welcome you, we are proud of you, and we have confidence in your ability to achieve excellence.
Sincerely,
Susan B. Sisson, PhD RDN CHES FACSM
Associate Professor
Graduate Program Director and Chair
Preface
The policies and procedures detailed on the following pages are meant to supplement, and not replace, those outlined in both the Graduate College Bulletin and the College of Allied Health Student Handbook.
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in the admission and education of students. The Affirmative Action Office monitors policies, procedures, and programs to ensure they are developed and carried out in a manner which does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability.
PRINCIPLES DEFINING WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY THE UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE SHOULD BE
Faculty in the Department of Nutritional Sciences ascribe to the principles described below and strive to motivate students to adhere to them as well in the classroom, the clinical, and the social setting.
- First, a college or university is an educationally purposeful community, a place where faculty and students share academic goals and work together to strengthen teaching and learning on the campus.
- Second, a college or university is an open community, a place where freedom of expression is uncompromisingly protected and where civility is powerfully affirmed.
- Third, a college or university is a just community, a place where the sacredness of the person is honored and where diversity is aggressively pursued.
- Fourth, a college or university is a disciplined community, a place where individuals accept their obligations to the group and where well-defined governance procedures guide behavior for the common good.
- Fifth, a college or university is a caring community, a place where the well being of each member is sensitively supported and where service to others is encouraged.
- Sixth, a college or university is a celebrative community, one in which the heritage of the institution is remembered and where rituals affirming both tradition and change are widely shared.
