Health Services and Senior Living Program History

The Health Services and Senior Living Program offered at Southern Adventist University originated in 1978. Two persons were instrumental in generating the initial ideas that evolved into the program. Forrest L. Preston, president and board chairman of Life Care Centers of America (LCCA) headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, founded LCCA in 1976. Mr. Preston recognized Life Care's need for educated and well-trained nursing home administrators. He suggested that Southern's goals and mission would be enhanced if Southern offered a program to prepare administrators for Long Term Care facilities. In the same year, Dan Rozell came to Southern from Texas, where he had been responsible for a Health Services and Senior Living Program. Acting on the suggestions of these two persons, Southern's administration and business faculty began the process that formed the Health Services and Senior Living Program.

Life Care Centers of America provided their Director of Operations, Phil Brooks, to work closely with Southern's administration to develop the program. Life Care personnel provided teachers, scholarships, hands-on internships, and knowledge and expertise from the firm for Southern's students. Southern's Business Department worked in cooperation with Life Care administrators to determine the requirements for general education, management, and specifically the four Health Services and Senior Living courses that are still offered only in the summers. The curriculum was designed to provide learning experiences that prepare a person to pass the NAB and State board examinations and to be a successful nursing home administrator.

Mr. Rozell was the program director from 1980 through 1996. In 1996, Jim Segar assumed the directorship of the Health Services and Senior Living Program in addition to teaching a three-semester-hour Business Strategy class and functioning as Dean of the School of Business. From 1997-2004, Mr. Segar carried a full teaching load in addition to directing the HSSL program. When Mr. Segar retired in July 2004, Robert Montague assumed responsibility for the program. Dr. Montague directed the program from 2004-2009 while teaching graduate and undergraduate courses. In 2009, Dr. Montage transitioned to another responsibility, and Verlyne Starr assumed the directorship. Ms. Starr has been teaching classes in management and marketing areas at Southern since 2001.