Professor Wong also kept his hand in education by teaching at Newbury College and eventually heading its Opticianry program.  But Newbury later shut it down, leaving Massachusetts without a high-quality Opticianry program.  Seeing a fast-growing industry that faced a shortage of opticians, Wong identified lack of industry support as a main reason for the program closures.  In his OAM role, he immediately set about developing a rigorous curriculum and shopping it around.  That’s where Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT) came in. 

A chance meeting

To hear Wong tell it, he was at a workforce development conference and began chatting with the person next to him when a speaker was late. When the conversation turned to Opticianry, the person next to him – a BFIT satff person – was very interested, and the rest is history. 

Opticianry is BFIT’s newest program and Professor Wong has chaired the department since its founding in 2007.  He notes that it’s only natural for a place named after Franklin, who invented bifocals, to have an opticianry program.  "I liked the college’s focus on industry partnerships,” Wong said, “and they welcomed us by providing dedicated classroom, clinic and lab space. 

Professor Wong also loves teaching BFIT’s unique mix of students.  “At least half the program is adult learners,” he says.  They are eager to learn and redirect their lives and I really enjoy playing a role in that,”  shared Professor Wong. He happily tells of one class in which a graduate of Tufts University’s Optical Engineering program and a high school graduate sit next to each other and have become close friends. 

Plugged in to a growing field

The combination of people always needing glasses and the progressivity of a field that is expanding into sports and occupational protective eyewear and features a growing fashion component provides plenty of opportunity for students.  “Our students can work in high-fashion boutique, medical, corporate or chain store settings,” says Professor Wong. 

As department chair and Executive Director of OAM, no one is better position to expose students to all those opportunities.  Many students join the Association and regularly interact with the membership.  Professor Wong happily relayed news he just received about a student who had been struggling but found her way when she entered the Opticianry program and just landed her dream job as a dispensing optician at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.  

As is so often the case, the opportunities generally find their way to those who work the hardest.  The curriculum Professor Wong developed is a challenging one that includes everything from diseases of the eye, to contact lenses, to design and small business management.  “Opticians are the architects or designers of eye care,” Professor Wong says.  “The many intricacies involved mean opticians don’t just fill prescriptions, they interpret them,” he explained.

Professor Blair is something of a renaissance man.  In addition to being a licensed optician, he has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a Master’s in Education.   

But you don’t have to talk with him for very long to feel how much he loves to teach at BFIT. ”We are the feel good, care about patients program,” he says.  Then again, it’s all part of helping his students succeed in the world.