Posted:  Fullerton, CA, September 18, 2012

Scholarships totaling $221,800 were presented to 160 students at the Southern California College of Optometry's (SCCO's), Fall Honors Program on September 14.  Overall, 184 scholarships were awarded for academic and clinical achievement, essays on leadership, community service participation and other topics supportive of SCCO's educational program. Annually, SCCO holds two student awards programs.  The Fall Honors Program is held in September and the Senior Awards Program is held in May.  Alumni, corporate and industry contributions support the student award programs.

Established in 1904, SCCO is a private, non-profit, educational institution dedicated to educating today's minds to provide tomorrow's eye, vision and health care.  SCCO grants a four-year, professional degree, Doctor of Optometry (OD) and a Master of Science in Vision Science (MS).  In August 2011, the College announced plans to start a Physician Assistant program – the first in Orange County – via a two-year graduate degree.  The first Physician Assistant classes are anticipated to begin Fall 2014.

The College's superior clinical education program provides patient care experiences in community optometric clinics; exposure to the delivery of optometric care in multi-disciplinary settings; and experiences in practices serving a wide variety of ethnic and socio-economic patient groups.  SCCO owns and operates two premier eye and vision care centers¬ – the Eye Care Center located on its campus in Fullerton, CA, and the Optometric Center of Los Angeles located in south-central LA.

A special component of SCCO's educational program is community service.  Annually, SCCO faculty and optometric interns provide eye and vision care to thousands of uninsured or underinsured children and adults in our local communities through collaborations with other nonprofit organizations.