Sponsorship Opportunities

Corporate Support Opportunities

For more information, please contact David O’Donnell, ASCO’s Director of Development at dodonnell@opted.org

ASCO Corporate Contributors Program

ASCO Corporate Contributors

Publications

Journal of Optometric Education

Annual sponsorship: $5,000.

The Journal of Optometric Education is published 3 times each year and distributed to 2,200 recipients. This is an online educational publication that is archived on ASCO’s website. Advertisements are imbedded into the Journal with links to the sponsor’s website.

Eye on Education Newsletter

Contact: David Freeman with Naylor at Dfreeman@Naylor.com for more information.

ASCO’s Eye on Education e-newsletter is published monthly. All Corporate Contributors can include news items and press releases at no additional charge. All advertisements are coordinated with Naylor directly. Eye on Education is distributed to 2,200 recipients and archived on ASCO’s website.

Meetings

Special Interest Groups (SIG)

Each SIG is very individualized and has varied sponsorship needs. Please contact David O’Donnell at dodonnell@opted.org for sponsorship information of a specific SIG.

Advancement Directors
Binocular Vision and Perception Educators
Biomedical Science Educators
Clinic Directors
Clinical Optometric Methods & Procedures Instructors
Continuing Education Directors
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Educational Technology
Ethics Educators
Externship Directors
International Optometric Educators
Interprofessional Educaiton and Collaborative Practices
Low Vision Educators
Neuro-rehab Educators
Ophthalmic Optics Educators
Public Health Educators
Residency Educators
Vision Science Librarians 

Future Faculty Program (FFP)

Sponsorship: $5,000 – $25,000

ASCO’s Future Faculty Program (FFP) was developed for the purpose of “providing graduate students and residents with an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to enhance their success in an optometric academic environment as career-long, productive faculty members.” The FFP is comprised of formal presentations, workshops and shared activities. Each attendee develops a long-term career plan with specific goals, objectives and action strategies that are shared with the mentors. This program is held every-other-year.

Summer Institute for Faculty Development (SIFD)

Sponsorship: $5,000 – $25,000

This three-day workshop provides participants with an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills necessary to enhance their success in an optometric academic environment as career-long, productive faculty members. Participants are assigned to mentors throughout the workshop. Estimated 60 attendees. Three specific areas will be addressed:  1) Teaching and Learning, 2) Scholarship and 3) Academic Culture. Keynote speakers and program facilitators will present topical areas for discussion. SIFD also includes formal presentations, workshops, small group discussions, and shared activities. Each attendee will develop a long-term career plan with specific goals, objectives and action strategies. Attendees will be mentored in this process by the program faculty and other attendees. The impact of the program upon each participant will be evaluated both at the conclusion of the program and over the ensuing year. More information about the SIFD.

Optometric Education Leadership Institute

Sponsorship: $5,000 – $20,000

The Optometric Educators Leadership Institute held its pilot offering in 2019, pre-pandemic. Now, given the challenging circumstances these past few years, it has never been more important to have a development opportunity for those of us in the very unique business of educating future doctors of optometry. OELI will offer small cohorts of those who have been identified as early or future leaders a forum in which to discuss aspects of leadership in education in vision sciences and the optometric profession with a group of experienced trailblazers from both education and industry. Topics will include all areas necessary to meet the challenges and rise to the opportunities that the 21st Century has brought to healthcare education.

Projects

Applicant Development

ASCO’s Applicant Development Campaign has several unique sponsorship opportunities. For more information, contact Dawn Mancuso at dmancuso@opted.org.

ASCO’s Optometry Gives Me Life Campaign is a well-defined national campaign intended to increase the quantity, quality and diversity of applicants to the schools and colleges of optometry. As part of the national campaign, ASCO conducted extensive market research to develop a social media presence, new website, brochures, blog posts, webinars, and a recruitment video. These materials provide inspiration through the use of warm human interest stories that are emotionally engaging and demonstrate a work-life balance. Visit https://futureeyedoc.org/ for more information.

Virtual Career Fairs:

Sponsorship: $6,500

ASCO’s Virtual Career Fairs are unique virtual events that allow prospective applicants to conveniently an efficiently meet admissions representatives and interact with ASCO-accredited optometry schools and colleges in a live online event. These events are held in the Spring and Fall of each year, with an average of 650 participants.

Cultural Competency Workshops

Sponsorship: $5,000 – $10,000

ASCO and its member institutions have embraced the concepts of diversity and multiculturalism in optometric education and in the profession. To this end, ASCO has been implementing a multi-year project focusing on cultural competence. The goal is to assist the schools and colleges of optometry in the preparation of a diverse pool of optometric clinicians who will be clinically ready to address the vision and eye care needs of a multicultural and global community.

Special Recognition Awards

ASCO’s volunteers are educators and practitioners who give of their time in partnership with the Association, supporting and furthering our efforts to advance optometric education. A key strategic asset for ASCO, these individuals provide integral guidance and leadership by contributing to the development of Association policies, programs and services we establish or offer our membership. Our volunteer’s experience and knowledge helps to keep ASCO’s work current and relevant, and their efforts on the Association’s behalf allows far broader and deeper support and guidance to the member schools and colleges and staff than would otherwise be possible. ASCO is therefore deeply grateful for our volunteers’ work in support of specific ASCO initiatives and in support of the profession over a lifetime of service. With the bestowing of special awards, ASCO is honored to recognize the contributions of those working above and beyond the call in support of optometric education. Sponsorship opportunities are available for the following awards:

Student Award in Clinical Ethics

This annual national award is available to optometry students during any point of their professional program at an ASCO-affiliated school or college of optometry in the United States and Canada. The application consists of an essay of up to 1,500 words describing any one of the following scenarios:

  • A patient based case-study that the student encountered as part of their clinical learning experience.
  • A research based case scenario that the student has encountered during their clinical or didactic learning experience.
  • A professional ethics based scenario that the student has encountered during their clinical or didactic learning.

The essay must describe and discuss the ethical theories and values that were used in the decision-making process and address relevant state laws relating to the case (if applicable). The essay must be submitted in a publishable quality format. Each school or college of optometry is permitted to submit only one essay through the assigned award coordinator for their school. A committee of the ASCO Ethics Educators SIG (Special Interest Group) will make the selection of one national recipient. The award will consist of a plaque and a cash award of $1,000.

Rising Star Award

This award recognizes a faculty member or administrator with less than 10 years of service who has made noteworthy contributions to fulfilling the mission, strategic objectives or programs of ASCO. Awardees will demonstrate outstanding contributions in one of the following areas: Teaching which may include classroom, laboratory instruction, or course development; Scholarship which may include grant writing, research, publications, presentations, or other scholarly and creative activities; Administration which may include general administration, planning, development, or evaluation activities; and Professional Service which may include service to ASCO through committee, group, SIG or related activities; work in the community, state, or national levels that represents or promotes ASCO or optometric education.

Dr. Jack Bennett Award

ASCO’s Dr. Jack Bennett Innovation in Optometric Education Award was established in March 2000 to recognize an ASCO volunteer for an outstanding innovation to optometric education. The award was named in June 2000 in honor of Dr. Bennett, a creative leader in optometric education, who served as Dean at three optometric institutions.

Dr. Lester Janoff Award

The “Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence” recognizes the outstanding writing of a research article published in the ASCO Journal Optometric Education. The award is named in honor of Dr. Lester E. Janoff, editor of the journal from 2002-2005, and long-time member of the editorial review board who was known as an exceptional optometric educator, administrator, contact lens clinician and researcher. Dr. Janoff was also a beloved mentor of young writers.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The ASCO Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an outstanding individual who over an extended period of time provided exceptional leadership to ASCO and to optometric education; made outstanding contributions to the optometric community, and displayed exemplary commitment and dedication to the Association.

Industry Leadership Award

The ASCO Ophthalmic Industry Leadership Award recognizes an individual from a current or past Corporate Contributor partner company that demonstrates exemplary support of ASCO and its member institutions. The individual serves as an example for his/her colleagues in industry; and has made exceptional and meaningful contributions to the advancement of ASCO and optometric education.

The Herbert Wertheim Award

This award, affectionately called the “Herbie,” recognizes remarkable individuals or organizations that have accomplished high-impact, ground-breaking, and innovative programs or initiatives, and contributed substantially, or have the potential to sustainably address, eye and vision health and/or the social determinants of eye health and vision care, at the local, national, or global level.