Celebrating Impactful Legacies

Created in 2017, the Health Achievement Leadership Legacy (HALL) Award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to OU’s School of Health Sciences through leadership, community service, research or teaching. Nominations are sought annually, with final selections made by the dean and members of the school’s Board of Advocacy and Resource Development (BOARD). Awardees are widely respected by peers and recognized as role models in the health care field.

This year’s recipients are:

Brian Goslin, Ph.D.
Robert Jarski, Ph.D., PA
Teresa Stayer, PT (in memoriam)

HALL Awards are typically presented at the school’s annual Healthology Symposium, but due to the ongoing public health crisis, Healthology 2020 was held virtually on November 12. “While we were unable to gather safely this year for Healthology, it is vitally important to recognize this year’s HALL awardees,” says Dr. Kevin Ball, dean of the School of Health Sciences. “Next fall, we look forward to presenting the awards in-person to Drs. Goslin and Jarski, and posthumously to honor Teresa Stayer.”

“Brian, Robert and Teresa are most deserving of the school’s highest award for their notable and enduring contributions,” Ball says. “Their selection was unanimously approved by our BOARD, which speaks volumes about the tremendous impact each has made to our continued growth and success.”

Brian Goslin

For Dr. Brian Goslin, Oakland University has afforded him far more than a place of employment. He spent more than half of his 46-year career in academia at OU, and he was thrilled to be conferred professor emeritus status earlier this year.

“Oakland fostered my professional growth and encouraged my academic endeavors,” explains Goslin. “The university enabled me to achieve a highly satisfying sense of personal accomplishment. In addition, both of my sons earned bachelor’s degrees, and my wife completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Oakland. I am most appreciative of all these impactful influences that the university provided.”

During his tenure at OU, Dr. Goslin served as associate professor and founding director of the Exercise Science program in the School of Health Sciences. He held the position of program director for nearly 25 years. In 1997, Dr. Goslin also served as acting associate vice president for Academic Affairs and as the dean of Graduate Study.

In addition to his extensive involvement in governance of the school and the university, Dr. Goslin led the expansion of the Master of Science in Exercise Science program through the development of an undergraduate minor and a concentration, as well as a number of graduate certificates.

Dr. Goslin also played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Wellness, Health Promotion and Injury Prevention undergraduate degree program (now Wellness and Health Promotion). 

He authored nearly thirty publications in peer-reviewed journals or books, and has presented at numerous national and state conferences. Known for his thoughtful and balanced approach to teaching, Dr. Goslin’s enduring legacy is the success of his students.

Dr. Goslin is deeply humbled by this honor. “Being recognized with the HALL Award for my leadership in advancing Health Sciences is especially gratifying as it is my colleagues who are acknowledging my contributions.”

Robert Jarski

When reflecting upon his 28 years at OU and being selected for the HALL Award, Dr. Robert Jarski feels immense gratitude. He appreciates the support of the university and the School of Health Sciences for the opportunities to do what he was born to do — teach.

“Education for health promotion and disease prevention, from the curricular level – where students consciously learn, to the cellular level – where the body ‘learns’ to promote health and healing through mind-body mechanisms, has been my lifelong mission,” Jarski explains.

Dr. Jarski served as a full professor in the School of Health Sciences, and in 2008 he was granted a secondary appointment in the OU William Beaumont School of Medicine. He chaired the campus-wide OU Wellness Committee whose report and recommendations made OU among the nation’s first, to adopt a smoke-free campus policy, and to allocate employee health insurance benefits based on willingness to practice healthy lifestyle habits.  

Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Jarski served as the founding director of the OU Complementary Medicine and Wellness Graduate Certificate Program, and he is a founding member of the school’s BOARD. He was awarded professor emeritus status in 2013 and continues as a lecturer, research mentor, and dissertation advisor for OU students.

In addition to providing opportunities to pursue his passion for teaching, OU facilitated his extensive scientific research and publication of over 60 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Jarski participated in state and national committees, including five study sections of the National Institutes of Health, and traveled in other avant-garde experiences that contributed to his continuing education.

Dr. Jarski hopes to have conveyed leading-edge thinking to his students in meaningful and lasting ways. “I am encouraged when I receive emails and am greeted in clinics by former students who are now practicing in facilities across Southeast Michigan. I consider my career and legacy successful when these individuals, now professionals in their own rite, tell me that I have forever changed their lives.” Chuckling, he adds, “I hope it was for the better, for their sake - and mine!”

Teresa Stayer (1961-2019)

With her passing in 2019, Teresa Stayer is deeply missed. Caring, passionate and positive is how others describe this OU alumna who has left an indelible imprint on the Physical Therapy program, the School of Health Sciences, and the university community, through her engagement and incredible support for students.

A founding member of our BOARD, Stayer served as the vice president of Spectra Med, Inc., a multi-specialty facility inclusive of physical therapy, focusing on hands-on techniques of myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, and lymphatic drainage for the relief of pain and restoration of function.

“The PT program could always count on Teresa. She gave lectures, supervised students in the clinic, and established the Stayer/Spectra Med Scholarship, which is awarded annually to two, third year physical therapy students. She also gave willingly of her time by serving on numerous committees and boards,” says Kristine Thompson, Ph.D., associate professor of physical therapy and coordinator of the Doctor of Science program. “Teresa always had a smile and a hug for those who knew her. She brightened everyone’s day with her upbeat demeanor.”

Always willing to give back to her alma mater, Teresa and husband Dan, along with their family, attended many university activities and events. Thompson recalls, “I think OU had a very positive impact on her life.”

Stayer was presented with the Physical Therapy Program Professional Recognition Award in 2012, which recognizes a physical therapist who embodies the core values of the profession, advocates for lifelong learning, and demonstrates a commitment to the field and to the university. “Teresa served as an exemplar and role model for graduates of the physical therapy program. Through her generosity, caring, and uplifting spirit, she leaves a lasting legacy,” explains Thompson.

Previous HALL Award Recipients

2019
J. Lynne Williams — first faculty, program builder, 40 years of diagnostic sciences leadership

2018
Arthur Griggs — administrative leader, instrumental in founding of school, BOARD founder (retired)

Alfred Stransky — visionary founder of Meadow Brook Health Enhancement Institute

2017
Moon J. Pak — international physician innovator, founder of our school, BOARD founder (retired)