CHSP History, Mission & Vision

CHSP is thinking bigger about health.

Now more than ever, we recognize that health is much bigger and more complex than simply treating disease. Health impacts every facet of life, from the economy to education. At Ohio University's College of Health Sciences and Professions, we’re one of the nation’s largest health-focused public colleges. But more importantly, our innovative approach to addressing health –  what affects it, who provides it, and how to improve it – is big.

We teach students to think bigger, while not losing sight of the details, so they can build practical solutions that meaningfully improve health outcomes, from the front lines of a major city trauma unit to the most remote corners of Appalachia—one person and one community at a time.

Our Vision

• Our experiential and interdisciplinary philosophy means CHSP students learn to treat and optimize health through many lenses, readying them for a career path as tomorrow’s best nurses, social workers, dietitians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, hospital administrators and more.
• As a leader in population health, we embrace community partnerships to build collaborative, scalable solutions capable of meeting the era’s biggest crises and challenges.

Our Mission

• We SERVE our communities (big and small).
• We SOLVE the world’s greatest health issues.
• We SUCCEED in training the next generation of health care professionals.

What Defines Us

• An interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to research and academics
• A focus on rural health care
• Providing outreach to underserved populations
• An emphasis on reflecting and promoting diversity in health settings
• Engagement in global health education and issues

Why Choose the College of Health Sciences and Professions?

Whether it's in the classroom or in the community, in the library or in the laboratory, the College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) will challenge you at every turn—teaching you to think critically and act boldly, and preparing you to take the knowledge you gain here out into the world, where it can do the most good for the most people.

Since its founding in 1979, the College of Health Sciences and Professions has been known for the quality of its academic programs and the success of its graduates. More than 8,500 students are enrolled in more than 40+ academic programs housed in our one schools and nine departments. Each day, these students work with outstanding faculty members who are committed to achieving excellence in education and scholarship.

While our longest history is at our Athens, Ohio, campus, our footprint is worldwide, with students having studied or engaged in clinical work at sites in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and North America. Every day, our students engage in innovative and insightful learning activities, inspiring research, and dynamic clinical work with underserved populations in southeast Ohio, across the state and nation, and around the world.

CHSP is a place where ideas lead to innovations, where today's students become tomorrow's professionals, and where commitment and caring benefit our communities and the people who live in them.

The College of Health Sciences and Professions is a place where exciting things happen every single day. Whether you're interested in undergraduate programs, graduate programs or a specific department or school unit within the college, we can help you gain the skills you need to make a difference in the world. 

Learn more about our college's storied history.

As you explore the history of the College of Health Sciences and Professions, the connection between past and present — between tradition and innovation — is clear.

With the appointment of Hilda Richards as dean in 1979, the newly formed College of Health and Human Services began a long tradition of innovative thinking. Richards, Ohio University's first female dean and its first black dean, understood that the nursing college needed to grow and added several new programs including physical therapy and health administration. Under her leadership, the college quickly grew to encompass a broad range of programs across many disciplines.

Pictured Left: Founding Dean Hilda Richards

In 2001, the college moved into a new home in Grover Center, a state-of-the-art building redesigned specifically for the college. The facility, which was originally OHIO's basketball arena, now features 21 classrooms, 24 labs, a fitness complex, a cafe and wireless Internet throughout the building.

In 2008, the college expanded into the world of online education with its Master of Health Administration degree. Today, more than 5,000 students are enrolled in online degree and certificate programs in health administration, nursing, global health and clinical informatics. With 2010's academic restructuring, the College of Health Sciences and Professions refocused its core mission on health and well-being, positioning the college as a national model for health professions education, scholarship and service across a wide array of disciplines. In 2011, the Social Work program moved into the college, joining other health-focused disciplines.

Today, the College of Health Sciences and Professions includes more than 100 faculty and staff members and more than 8,000 students—with more growth ahead. In 2014, college leaders broke ground on a new facility at the Ohio University Dublin Integrated Education Center in central Ohio, which now serves as the home of the physician assistant practice degree, the combined master of science and dietetic internship program, the doctor of nursing program and other programs across the health spectrum.