Occupational Safety and Health Program Improvement

With over forty years of experience in educating Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) students, the purpose of this proposal is to strengthen the learning environment to prepare the next generation of leaders in OSH practice. This will be accomplished by preparing graduate students who are well-trained to enter the workforce, ready to respond to both established risks, as well as new challenges brought on by the changing nature of work. The primary focus will be: 1. Opportunities for interaction between faculty internship instructors and on-site intern supervisors to sustain and advance employer-intern-university relationships. 2. Develop and host workshops and seminars to address advances in OSH practice. 3. Faculty professional development to respond to the changing nature of work. 4. Support for graduate students in the form of tuition, fees, and travel. 5. Improve program curriculum to modernize offerings. 6. Increase program's capacity for use of virtual/digital applications in placement-related activities, communication, academic offerings, and profession-related applications. The OSH department had 289 students in the program during the fall 2019 semester which included 39 in the graduate program and 250 in the undergraduate program.