SAMUEL MERRITT UNIVERSITY

ABOUT SAMUEL MERRITT UNIVERSITY

Why Choose Samuel Merritt University?

HISTORY & REPUTATION

Originally founded in 1909, Samuel Merritt University (SMU) is a fully accredited health sciences institution located in Oakland, California. The University offers degrees in nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and podiatric medicine. Samuel Merritt University offers three doctoral degree programs, including podiatric medicine, physical therapy and nursing practice. Samuel Merritt University is an affiliate of Sutter Health and Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. 86% of surveyed students (Fall 2012) cite "reputation of program" as the top reason to attend SMU.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Samuel Merritt University is one of the largest source of new registered nurses in California. The University is also the largest provider of physical and occupational therapists, physician assistants and podiatric physicians in the greater East Bay. Student enrollment is over 1,400, with campuses in Oakland, Sacramento and San Mateo (San Francisco Peninsula Learning Center). The University strives to reflect the community it serves by recruiting students with a variety of ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Most Samuel Merritt University graduates' passing scores on licensure and certification exams exceed state and national rates. Due to the University’s reputation for academic and clinical excellence, its graduates are heavily recruited, and have one of the highest rates of employment within one year of graduation. And, the financial aid office is able to provide over 98% of its students with the proper amount of financial aid to cover the cost of tuition, fees and living expenses.

FACULTY EXCELLENCE

Samuel Merritt has a strong reputation for personalized instruction because of its outstanding faculty, who bring impressive academic and clinical backgrounds to life-long learning, and a deep commitment to students and to the community. SMU faculty are regularly published in peer-reviewed journals and books, many more are invited to serve on national boards or professional committees, and a growing number have been awarded research grants and other professional honors.

STATE-OF-THE ART FACILITIES

Our Health Sciences Simulation Center (HSSC) is one of the West’s most advanced healthcare simulation facilities, with state-of the-art medical equipment where SMU students, faculty and working health professionals act out scenarios. The new Motion Analysis Research Center (MARC) is located in the SMU Health Education Center on the University’s Oakland campus. The center is equipped with the latest technology to study movement including a nine-camera, three-dimensional motion-capture system, force platforms, in-shoe and platform pressure mapping systems, electromyography, and other equipment to evaluate movement and motor function.

COMMUNITY

From a partnership with a local Oakland church to work with a local group dedicated to supporting underserved youth interested in healthcare careers, Samuel Merritt University is committed to working with our local community. Students are offered a variety of ways to get involved. Read more about our community outreach.

GLOBAL 

SMU is committed to doing good work, in our local community and beyond. For years, SMU faculty and students have been traveling across the globe, providing clinics and care and delivering equipment to communities in need. Read more about our international medical trips.

MISSION

Samuel Merritt University educates students to become highly skilled and compassionate healthcare professionals who positively transform the experience of care in diverse communities.

VISION

Samuel Merritt University is recognized as a premier health sciences institution. Expert faculty and staff shape an inclusive learning environment where students experience best teaching practices and state-of-the-art learning approaches. The University selects and supports students who flourish in its rigorous academic programs, learn to practice expertly, and pass licensure or certification examinations on first attempt.

PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

The philosophy of teaching and learning at Samuel Merritt University consist of a system of beliefs and values about the partnership between faculty and students in the teaching and learning process. The philosophy is directed toward the preparation of healthcare practitioners whose practice is planned and coordinated around the unique qualities of each person served. The philosophy requires that SMU graduates use sound reasoning which incorporates the current best evidence, clinical expertise, and the preference of the people served.

Programs, curricula, and courses are designed to values active, experiential learning and collegial, scholarly, and effective interaction among students and faculty. We believe that clinical and practical applications, grounded in the basic sciences, social sciences, and humanities, provide a critical foundation for learning in the health professions.

HISTORY OF SAMUEL MERRITT UNIVERSITY

The roots of Samuel Merritt University (SMU) go back more than a century.  On January 26, 1909, Samuel Merritt Hospital opened its doors - along with a new School of Nursing. During its first 75 years, the Samuel Merritt School of Nursing prepared hundreds of men and women for nursing careers. Over the years, Samuel Merritt maintained affiliation agreements with other local colleges so that students could complete foundation science and liberal arts courses.  These institutions included Mills College, California State University Hayward (now CSU East Bay), and the College of Alameda. In 1981, the School discontinued its nursing diploma program, became a college, and initiated an innovative four-year baccalaureate nursing program in cooperation with Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga.  Samuel Merritt College (SMC) thus became the first - and one of the few hospital-based nursing schools in the nation - to make a successful transition to a four-year accredited degree-granting institution.

A new era of program expansion and enrollment growth began in 1990 when the College diversified its programs beyond undergraduate nursing by establishing an entry-level Master of Physical Therapy degree program.  In 1992, SMC began offering a Master of Science degree in Nursing, which developed several specialty tracks to prepare nurse anesthetists, family nurse practitioners, and case managers.  The institution admitted its first Master of Occupational Therapy students in 1994, and in 1999, it established the first Master's degree program for Physician Assistants in the western United States. 

In 2001, the College began expanding its programs to regions well beyond the East Bay.  For example, it began offering graduate nursing education at its Sacramento Regional Learning Center.  In 2005, a grant from the Betty and Gordon Moore Foundation enabled the College to develop additional learning centers in San Francisco and San Mateo to address the critical nursing shortage through the expansion of its innovative 12-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.  It also began offering a number of courses online and a degree program to serve students from a distance.

SMU became a doctoral granting institution with the merger of the California College of Podiatric Medicine (CCPM) and the development of a clinical doctorate in physical therapy in 2002. CCPM, now known as the California School of Podiatric Medicine (CSPM), was originally established in San Francisco in 1914.  

Finally, in 2009, Samuel Merritt College was officially renamed "Samuel Merritt University"  to recognize its growing contribution to research and its success in broadening its mission to provide baccalaureate-, master's-, and doctoral-level programs in multiple health disciplines, preparing tens of thousands of students for entry-level and advanced professional practice in a variety of critical health disciplines.

In 2008,  SMU and Saint Mary's discontinued their historic joint degree program.  The University developed a new program in collaboration with Saint Mary's, Mills College, Holy Names University, and Notre Dame de Namur University.  Students enrolled in this program complete course work at one of the partner schools and then transfer to SMU to complete  nursing courses and obtain a  Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

Over the past three decades, the University corporate oversight has undergone a series of beneficial changes.  In 1982, Samuel Merritt Hospital - SMU's original parent organization - merged with Peralta Hospital to form "Merritt-Peralta Medical Center."  Ten years later, Providence Hospital and Merritt-Peralta Medical Center combined to form "Summit Medical Center."  Finally in 1999, "Alta Bates Summit Medical Center" was created by the merger of Summit Medical Center with Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley. 

Today, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center serves as the University's  parent organization and is the East Bay's largest private, nonprofit provider of tertiary care for the healthcare needs for more than two million residents.  Moreover, the Medical Center is an affiliate of Sutter Health, one of the nation's leading nonprofit, community-based health systems, delivering high quality medical services in more than 100 Northern California communities.

ADMINISTRATION

Samuel Merritt University has defined a bold and forward-looking vision that will sustain the University as a first class accredited institution of higher learning. The University is focused on strategies to enhance instructional innovation, expand learning and laboratory facilities, and provide the highest levels of expert faculty and staff to support undergraduate and graduate students.

TECHNOLOGY AT SMU

“In 2022, future healthcare professionals entering higher education institutions will do so with the expectation that their professors, clinical mentors and administrators possess mastery of the digital media and technological skills that are integral to the Students’ existence. Furthermore, it would be a reasonable expectation of Students that those responsible for their learning have not only clinical expertise, but also a deep understanding of educational theories and the ability to apply teaching principles that leverage the tools of the digital age to facilitate the learning of 21st century skills (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication) specifically in the context of their future professional domain.”

 -- Introduction to the Concept Paper for Center for Innovation and Excellence in Learning (CIEL)

Academic and Instructional Innovation (A&II) 

A&II has the mission to achieve the objectives described in the CIEL excerpt above. A&II collaborates closely with the other Teaching and Learning Excellence (TLE) departments under Penny Bamford, IT and Media Services to discover or create and implement the most effective academic technology and best practices to improve teaching and learning at SMU. After implementation, A&II assess the effectiveness of implemented technology and practices to ensure that they effectively serve the community.

 

Health Sciences Simulation Center (HSSC) 

SMU students and faculty, and working professionals from our community partners, practice all types of simulation, using state-of-the-art medical equipment and simulation equipment, plus the services of skilled actors known as standardized patients. Advanced audio visual equipment records every word and move for debriefing.

Motion Analysis Research Center (MARC) 

The Motion Analysis Research Center (MARC) at Samuel Merritt University (SMU) is a 2,000 ft² state-of-the art laboratory designed to advance the study of human movement in education, research and patient care. 

Technology Committee

The Technology Committee of Samuel Merritt University (SMU) serves as a strategic advisory body for recommendations pertaining to campus technology. The Committee assists in the development of the University's technology strategy and in the ongoing evaluation of progress towards meeting strategic objectives.

STUDENT SERVICES

Welcome to Samuel Merritt University Student Services

The Office of Student Services supports the mission of the University and plays a significant role in educating the whole student in preparation for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service in a diverse and global society. Through the promotion of health, leadership, and community, the Office of Student Services encourages students to exercise good judgment in preparation for life and a career in the health sciences. The programs and services offered foster the integration of student learning with personal development, personal responsibility, and the advancement of a healthy campus community.

ADMINISTRATION

Samuel Merritt University has defined a bold and forward-looking vision that will sustain the University as a first class accredited institution of higher learning. The University is focused on strategies to enhance instructional innovation, expand learning and laboratory facilities, and provide the highest levels of expert faculty and staff to support undergraduate and graduate students.

Administration

• Sharon Diaz, PhD (hc)
  President and CEO
• Scot Foster, PhD, FAAN
  Academic Vice President and Provost
• Terry Nordstrom, PT, EdD, FNAP
  Interim Vice President, Enrollment and Student Services
• Greg Gingras, MSB, CMA, CFM
  Vice President, Finance and Administration, and CFO
• Stephanie Bangert, MLS
  Executive Director, Communications and External Relations
• Elaine Lemay, MHROD
  Executive Director, Human Resources
• Sue Valencia, BA, CFRE
  Executive Director, Development and Alumni Affairs
• Shirley Strong, MEd
  Chief Diversity Officer
• Cynthia M. Ulman, MBA
  Executive Director, Planning & Business Development

Board of Regents

• Jonathan Brown, DPA, Chair
• Owen Garrick, MD, Vice Chair
• Lloyd Leanse, BA, Chairman of the Finance Committee
• David Bradley, MBA
• Sharon Diaz, PhD (hc) (ex-officio)
• David Frey, JD
• Jeff Gerard, MM (ex-officio)
• Teh-wei Hu, PhD
• Alvin McLean, Jr., PhD
• Chuck Prosper, MBA
• John Swartzberg, MD, FACP

MY SMU STORY

The decision to enter healthcare is a personal one. In every nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician assistant or podiatrist, lives a deep desire to help others heal. At Samuel Merritt University, every student and faculty member has a story about what led them to make that life-changing decision, and what led them to SMU. In this video a few members of the SMU community share their story, with hope to one day to hear or inspire yours.