TAHLEQUAH — When he came to Tahlequah in July 1997, Dr. George Foster intended to fill the post of interim dean for six months and then return to practice optometry in his hometown of Bristow.

Months turned into 11 years, and recently Foster announced he will retire from a career as dean of the Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry next January, according to a media release from the university.

“I came to Northeastern because there was a job to do, and when a ‘real’ dean couldn’t be found, I was appointed to the position in January 1998,” Foster said. “These 11 years have flown by and have been the most rewarding in my professional career.”

Known for his good humor and for affectionately dubbing his friends and associates “cousins,” Foster has raised the profile of Oklahoma’s only optometry college during his tenure at NSU.

He is credited with initiating efforts to enhance curriculum and recruit outstanding optometry students from throughout the United States, establish a partnership with the Cherokee Nation to provide rural eye care in northeastern Oklahoma, and work with the Oklahoma legislature to benefit the optometry profession statewide.

Under his direction, NSUOCO students experience more than 40,000 patient encounters annually.

Dr. Don Betz, who became Northeastern’s 17th president in July, praised Foster’s commitment to the optometry profession and to enhancing opportunities for NSU optometry students and the patients they serve.

“While we will reluctantly say farewell to Dr. George Foster when he retires next January, NSU will continue to enjoy for many years the advantages of having had such a dedicated, progressive professional at the helm of the NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry,” said Betz.

Recognized statewide as a leader in the health care industry, Foster plans to retain an active voice in public policy making.

“Since it was founded 30 years ago, the Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading institutions in educating optometric physicians,” Foster said. “I’ve had the privilege to devote my life to this profession, and I’m looking forward to having more time to work with the Oklahoma legislature and forge relationships that will hopefully yield long term benefits for the students and faculty here.”

To expand the optometry presence on NSU’s Broken Arrow campus, Foster will help establish funding for a Neurocognitive Rehabilitation and Low Vision Institute. Plans are to locate the addition adjacent to the Vision Care Institute, a satellite learning center for optometry students opened earlier this year.

His post-retirement travel plans to Oklahoma City include fulfilling duties as a board member of the Oklahoma Institute of Child Advocacy, the Oklahoma Academy of State Goals, and the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.

A university selection committee will review candidates recruited nationwide for the dean’s position.