Compendium of Exemplary Practices by Colleges and
Universities in the Recruitment, Retention and Career
Transition of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD)
Professionals
The program descriptions that follow derive
from a two-phase survey of accredited programs in speech-language
pathology and audiology conducted in 2002 by the Cox, Matthews
& Associates Consulting Group (CMACG) under contract to the
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
In the first phase program directors were
invited to nominate programs and practices, at their own
institutions and others which they believed to be effective in
recruiting, retaining or facilitating the career transition of
students from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. Nominated
programs received a written survey that asked them to describe as
specifically as possible the effective practices, procedures or
techniques used in their program. Follow-up telephone interviews
allowed program representatives to clarify and elaborate upon
their written descriptions.
The following programs have been identified
by themselves or their peers as exemplifying one or more
effective practices in minority student recruitment, retention or
career transition. No further level of analysis or qualification
is implied by using the term "exemplary" in connection
with these practices and strategies.
Sharing this information should serve to
stimulate faculty and administrators' expansion of their
efforts to promote cultural diversity among those pursuing
careers in the communication sciences and disorders professions.
You are encouraged to contact program representatives to talk
about strategies or practices that might be effective in your
institution.
California State University, Long Beach
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment/Retention
Strategies Employed:
The CSU Long Beach Department of
Speech-Language Pathology presents its students with a
comprehensive bilingual/multicultural emphasis in their CSD
studies. Included are an undergraduate course,
Management of Monolingual and Bilingual Clients
, and a graduate course,
Linguistically Different Clinical Practicum
. In the latter, every student works with clients, aided by an
interpreter, in a language they don't speak. Full bilingual
practicum opportunities are also available.
In the thirteen years that this program has
been operational at CSU Long Beach, the recruitment and retention
of diverse and bilingual students has increased exponentially.
Further, the university's clinic has seen a dramatic increase
in the number of community members seeking services in their
native languages.
Since the inception of its emphasis on
multiculturalism, this program has served individuals from
nineteen language groups, thereby training future CSD
professionals to serve a similarly diverse population. Graduates
of this program, especially those who have engaged extensively in
the language and cultural diversity emphasis, are in great demand
by employers.
Contact person:
Dr. Carolyn Conway Madding
Contact Information:
California State University, Communicative Disorders Department,
1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90850. Telephone:
562-985-5283. Fax: 714-670-1344. E-mail:
madding@csulb.edu
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Hampton University
Program Emphasis:
Retention
Strategies Employed:
Hampton University holds the distinction of
being the first CSD degree-granting institution among the more
than 100 historically black colleges and universities in the
United States. This program has trained more African American
speech-language pathologists than any institution in the country.
In recent times, the program has placed greater emphasis on
multicultural issues and the communications needs of an
increasingly diverse client population.
The academic program at Hampton University
includes undergraduate training in the specialization of
speech-language pathology, a baccalaureate major that has served
as a "feeder" for the graduate study programs in
speech-language pathology and audiology. Faculty and graduate
students work with undergraduate CSD majors in addressing
admission and preparation requirements for graduate school.
Throughout both their undergraduate and
graduate studies, Hampton students are exposed to "real
life" experiences in meeting the needs of youth and adults
with communicative disorders in a changing multicultural society.
Students are exposed to a range of racial and ethnically diverse
clients for whom they must devise assessment and treatment
programs in speech-language pathology and audiology.
Contact person:
Pollie Murphy
Contact Information:
Hampton University, Department of Communicative Sciences and
Disorders, Hampton, VA 23668-0199. Telephone: 757-727-5435.
Fax: 757-727-5765. E-mail:
pollie.murphy@hampton.edu
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Howard University
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment/Retention
Strategies Employed:
Howard University employs a multi-pronged
plan in its efforts to recruit students into careers in
communication sciences and disorders. Significant emphasis is
placed on attracting institutional and community awareness to CSD
services and careers in the field. This is accomplished through
conferences, publications, exhibits, college/career fairs and
related attention-drawing activities.
The recruiting program also includes an
alumni referral program, whereby Howard University graduates
connect prospective students with admission and faculty
representatives. Should these candidates enroll in CSD studies,
the alumni representatives remain active as mentors and as a part
of the students' professional network. The program is
vigilant in its search for and provision of financial assistance
(e.g., scholarships, grants, research and teaching
assistantships, work-study opportunities, etc.) that help
students gain experience and meet their financial needs.
Once admitted and enrolled, a strong faculty
advisement and peer mentoring program is available to all
students, and is strongly encouraged for those who are identified
as having specific academic needs. One-on-one instruction is also
provided by faculty for students with more intense needs.
Contact person:
Dr. Ovetta L. Harrison-Harris
Contact Information:
Howard University, Communications Sciences & Disorders, 525
Bryant Street/CB Powell Communication Building, Washington, DC
20059. Telephone: 202-806-6990. E-mail:
oharris@howard.edu
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Long Island University - Brooklyn Campus
Program Emphasis: Recruitment/Retention
Strategies Employed:
The graduate program in speech-language
pathology at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus is a
program with a bilingual/multicultural orientation. Its mission
is to prepare a culturally and linguistically diverse body of
clinicians to serve a diverse client population in a variety of
urban clinical settings. The Communication Sciences and Disorders
(CSD) program seeks to identify students who will carry forth
this mission in their studies and into professional practice.
LIU-Brooklyn has a history of commitment to
preparing teachers and student service specialists for the New
York City public schools, as evidenced by its Center for Urban
Education, which places emphasis on recruiting students committed
to working in urban schools.
The program adds a bilingual focus to the CSD
curriculum to achieve its objectives. Students can concentrate in
the Master of Science degree program with a bilingual
specialization or have the option to seek certification in New
York State as a teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped
with a bilingual extension. Clinical practicum experiences for
these students are completed in settings where their bilingual
skills are utilized. A strong faculty advisement program is also
in place to guide students through their academic and practicum
experiences.
For its achievements in successfully
implementing cultural diversity initiatives, LIU-Brooklyn was
recognized by the Council for Academic Programs in Communication
Sciences and Disorders in 2002.
Contact Person: Dr. Nelson Moses,
Chairperson
Contact Information: Department of
Communication Sciences & Disorders, Long Island
University-Brooklyn Campus, 1 University Place, Brooklyn, NY
11201-5301. Telephone: 718-780-4169. E-mail:
nmoses@liu.edu
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Lehman College of the City University of New York
Program Emphasis: Recruitment
Strategies Employed:
The Department of Speech-Language-Hearing
Sciences at Lehman College of the City University of New York
participates in recruitment fairs and high school presentations
throughout the New York metropolitan area. Literature introducing
careers in speech-language pathology and audiology, and
describing both the undergraduate and graduate programs, are
distributed to college and high school guidance counselors
throughout the city. In addition, the department uses its Web
site to provide information about the program's requirements
and financial support. The department was featured in a 16-page
public relations document published by the college entitled
Brilliance in the Bronx
.
Members of the department collaborate with
the Office of Academic Advisement so that prospective students
are fully informed about admission requirements. Students with a
bachelor's degree in another field are able to take
pre-requisite courses (i.e., 27 credits) and then apply for
graduate admission. This strategy has resulted in bringing an
older and more diverse pool of students to the program.
The department participates with the New York
City and New York State Boards of Education in the Expanded
Capacity Program, a professional development program designed to
bring greater diversity to the educator ranks in the city and
state schools. Prospective students who may not have
initially been eligible for admission to the graduate program are
given special consideration due to their status as board of
education employees. When admitted, these students are assigned
to an undergraduate advisor to ensure maximal attention is given
to their academic needs. The department receives city and state
board of education funding for its participation in this
initiative.
Contact Person:
Dr. Deena Bernstein
Contact Information:
Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, 250 Bedford
Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10468. Telephone: 718-960-8134. Fax:
718-960-7376. E-mail:
slevery@alpha.lehman.cuny.edu
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San Diego State University
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment/Retention
Strategies Employed:
The School of Speech, Language and Hearing
Sciences at San Diego State University (SDSU) is actively engaged
in the recruitment and retention of students who will be capable
of meeting the needs and challenges of a multicultural community,
including the growing need for clinicians with bilingual skills.
The program emphasizes interdisciplinary preparation of
speech-language pathologists and audiologists to be
diagnosticians, consultants, resource and program specialists,
researchers, and speech and hearing scientists.
SDSU places considerable importance on
serving the needs of underserved youth and adults. The program
has been successful in acquiring numerous grants to provide
services to disadvantaged students in schools, as well as Spanish
speakers in other clinical settings. To serve these populations,
recruitment efforts are targeted toward racial/ethnic minority
candidates. Participation in institutional and community outreach
efforts, career/college fairs, faculty and student recruitment
activities, and publications have helped communicate the
bilingual and multicultural focus to prospective students.
Throughout their formal and informal
educational experiences, students are afforded every exposure
possible to interface with culturally and linguistically diverse
populations and utilize their bilingual skills. The program has
also discovered that inter-institutional collaboration can
achieve common goals and provide varied experiences for its
students.
Contact person:
Dr. Vera Gutierrez-Clellen
Contact Information:
Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University, 5500
Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-8000. Telephone:
691-594-6645. E-mail:
vgutierrez-clellen@sdsu.edu
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Southern Connecticut State University
Program Emphasis:
Retention
Strategies Employed:
One of the unique characteristics of the
programs at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) is that
the Department of Communication Disorders has a long standing
relationship with a local chapter of the National Black
Association for Speech, Language and Hearing (NBASLH), many of
whose members are alumni of the program. Incoming students, with
their permission, are partnered with NBASLH members.
This activity provides unique mentoring and
networking opportunities for minority students, and affords them
the opportunity to interact on a regular basis with working
professionals in speech-language pathology and audiology. This
includes regular visits to the workplace for professional
observation, participation in association meetings, as well as an
opportunity to participate in informal and recreational
activities.
A byproduct of the relationship has been the
referral of additional prospective students to SCSU by other
NBASLH members.
Contact person:
Dr. Marianne Kennedy
Contact Information:
Southern Connecticut State University, Communication Disorders,
501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515. Telephone:
203-392-5960. E-mail:
kennedy@southernct.edu
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Temple University
Program Emphasis: Recruitment
Strategies Employed:
Responding to the changing demographics of
the community and the institution, Temple University has
developed its Hispanic Emphasis Program to call public and
professional attention to the speech, language and hearing needs
of Hispanic and Latino populations. In addition, the program
encourages prospective students from this minority group to
consider careers in the discipline. Information about the program
is included in the print materials that the Department of
Communications Sciences distributes to educational and social
settings throughout the Philadelphia area and within the
university.
Faculty members and experienced students
participate in monthly orientation and information programs that
carry the professional and recruitment messages across the campus
and out into the community. Temple University has a long history
of providing both merit- and need-based support for minority
participation in all of its graduate studies programs, and the
CSD programs have been successful in directing a portion of this
institutional and external assistance to their students. This
financial aid has come in the form of grants, scholarships and
work-study opportunities.
Contact person:
Dr. Barbara Mastriano, Chair
Contact Information:
Temple University, Communication Sciences, 109 Weiss Hall,
Philadelphia, PA 19122. Telephone: 215-204-1874. E-mail:
bmastria@temple.edu
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Tennessee State University
Program Emphasis:
Retention
Strategies Employed:
The Tennessee State University (TSU)
Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology places a high
premium on the mentoring and support services it provides
students throughout their undergraduate and graduate education.
Faculty and experienced students play an extremely active role in
assisting new and inexperienced students with their early
academic experiences. Graduates of the TSU program are also
enlisted to serve in varied mentoring and networking roles.
In addition, the TSU program works
extensively with the city of Nashville to serve citizens of all
ages with speech, language, and hearing disorders. This community
outreach has allowed students to serve in schools, hospitals,
agencies, private practice and related work settings, and enjoy
the "hands-on" experiences that result in improved
learning and achievement.
At the same time, the community exposure has
resulted in an enhanced awareness of the needs of minority and
ethnically diverse clients (youth and adult) and the need for
professionals to serve them. By connecting students to racially
and ethnically diverse clients during their training experiences,
TSU believes it is building a greater awareness of the needs of
the community and encouraging students to work in these
environments once they have graduated and become certified.
Contact person:
Dr. Harold Mitchell
Contact Information:
Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology, Tennessee State
University, 3500 John A. Merrit Boulevard, Nashville, TN
37209-1561. Telephone: 615-963-7081. E-mail:
hmitchell@tnstate.edu
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University of Akron
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment
Strategies Employed:
The Diversity Recruitment Program at the
University of Akron Graduate School seeks to increase enrollment
of underrepresented groups in all programs at the graduate level.
Efforts are directed toward undergraduate students (junior/senior
members) with a goal of graduate study and interest in
speech-language pathology and audiology.
The Associate Dean of the Graduate School is
chiefly responsible for diversity recruitment efforts. Contacts
are made with interested students through variety of
institutional programs and professional conferences. Graduate
assistants, especially those from racial/ethnic minority groups,
also play a role in recruitment efforts.
The university recruits at historically black
colleges and universities (
HBCUs
), participating in graduate student and career fairs at these
institutions. Each academic year, the number of HBCUs included in
the recruiting initiative is expanded. Prospective students at
the targeted HBCUs are invited to visit the University of Akron
and interact with current students and faculty. Recruitment
efforts aimed at racial/ethnic minority students are enhanced by
making graduate assistantships available to students from diverse
backgrounds.
Contact persons:
Dr. Lathardus Goggins, Associate Dean of the Graduate School and
James M. Lynn, Department of Speech-Language Pathology &
Audiology.
Contact Information:
University of Akron Graduate School, 225 Maine Street, Polsky
Building, Room 467, Akron, OH 44325-2101. Telephone:
330-972-6782. Fax: 330-972-6539. E-mail:
lgoggin@uakron.edu
School of Speech-Language Pathology &
Audiology, University of Akron. Telephone 330-972-6519. E-mail:
jlynn@uakron.edu
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University of Hawaii
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment/Career Transition
Strategies Employed:
The University of Hawaii's diversity
effort is part of an initiative to build enrollment through a
collaborative agreement with the Hawaii State Department of
Education. This effort grew from a state mandate to triple the
number of students being trained in CSD programs and to ensure
that underrepresented professional populations were included in
that expanded recruitment effort. The Department of Education
provides incentive awards of nearly $14,000 to support students
during their last two years of CSD graduate study.
In return for educational support, graduates
make a contractual promise to pursue a career in the public
schools in the state of Hawaii, for at least three years
following graduation. The state provides funds to support a
part-time recruiter, expanded faculty positions, and to meet
departmental resource needs created by the increased enrollment
in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
This program has been directed toward state
residents most likely to fulfill the contractual commitment. With
Hawaii residents, emphasis has been placed on the recruitment of
individuals of Hawaiian, Japanese and Filipino ancestry.
Recruitment has also included rural areas where CSD personnel
shortages are most acute.
Outreach efforts have included career fairs,
direct mail, advertising in popular media, and activities with
island public service organizations. Community workshops are held
to make citizens and educators more aware of the roles and
responsibilities of speech-language pathologists and audiologists
and to encourage consideration of these careers. In addition, the
department has collaborated internally with minority recruitment
initiatives in other professional disciplines (e.g.,
business, engineering, etc.). Finally, students are provided
placement assistance in the Hawaii public schools following
completion of their studies and certification.
Contact Person:
R. Weirather
Contact Information:
University of Hawaii, Speech and Hearing Clinic, 1410 Lower
Campus Road, Honolulu, HI 96822. Telephone: 808-956-5828. Fax:
808-956-5482. E-mail:
rweirathe@hawaii.edu
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University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Program Emphasis:
Retention
Strategies Employed:
The Department of Speech and Hearing Science
at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) integrates
multicultural issues into a variety of classes at the
undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels. The purpose is
to address the needs of minority consumers of audiology and
speech-language pathology services, and the needs of potential
professionals from racial/ethnic minority groups as they proceed
through their educational experience.
UIUC believes the retention of minority
students is directly tied to their ability to find relevance to
diversity issues within the curriculum. Both audiology and
speech-language pathology master's degree students are
required to register for a departmental multicultural course,
Clinical Sociolinguistics
, usually taught in the first semester of the first year of
program enrollment. Doctoral and post-doctoral students may
register for independent study in
Advanced Clinical Sociolinguistics
or
Multicultural Issues in Communications Sciences
.
All UIUC faculty members are actively engaged
in research that can readily include students who are interested
in cultural and linguistic diversity. Those engaged in child
language disorders appear to have a greater connection and
involvement with the issues and a significant number of UIUC
students gravitate to this area of concentration.
The extensive clinical practicum in both
audiology and speech-language pathology affords students many
"hands-on" experiences with individuals from culturally
and linguistically diverse backgrounds, a factor that is believed
to have influenced racial/ethnic minority student retention.
Contact Person:
Dr. Adele Proctor
Contact Information:
Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, 901 S. 6th Street,
Champaign, IL 61890. Telephone: 217-244-2554. Fax: 217-244-2235.
E-mail:
aproctor@uiuc.edu
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University of Northern Iowa & Xavier University
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment/Retention
Strategies Employed:
The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and
Xavier University, a historically black college, are
participating in a collaborative venture. UNI has agreed to
accept up to six Xavier graduates in speech-language pathology
into their graduate program over a three year period.
After appropriate application review and
admission, these students are supported by a combination of
federal stipends, graduate assistantships and tuition waivers,
depending on their year in the program. In exchange for financial
support, each student agrees to participate in a semester
internship in the Louisiana public schools. Further, graduates of
the program are expected to work in the public schools for a
period of time equivalent to the amount of time each was
supported in their graduate program.
Enrolled CSD students are mentored and
supported by designated faculty and experienced students.
Externships are provided in environments that will increase the
students' exposure to diverse populations.
Contact Persons:
Dr. Clifford Highnam (UNI), Ms. Nancy Martino (Xavier)
Contact Information:
Communicative Disorders Department, University of Northern Iowa,
CAC237, Cedar Falls, IA 50614. Telephone: 319-293-2576. E-mail:
highan@uni.edu
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology,
Xavier University, 1 Drexel Drive, New Orleans, LA 70125-1098.
Telephone: 504-486-7411. E-mail:
martino@xavierla.edu
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University of South Florida
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment
Strategies Employed:
The Department of Communication Sciences
& Disorders at the University of South Florida forms
recruiting teams that visit high schools, churches and community
groups and participate in university freshman orientation
programs. On campus, strong ties have been established with
Project Thrust, a tutoring and mentoring program that includes a
strong minority student advisement component. Much of the success
in reaching racially and ethnically diverse students has been
attributed to efforts to address issues early in the
student's college career.
The University of South Florida has also
benefited from a US Department of Education grant that has
provided financial support to racial/ethnic minority students
over the past five years. This aid is supplemented with tuition
waivers and institutional scholarship funds.
Contact person:
Dr. Arthur M. Guilford
Contact Information:
University of South Florida, Communication Sciences &
Disorders, PCF 1017, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620.
Telephone: 813-974-9790.
E-mail:
guilford@chuma1.cas.usf.edu
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University of Texas at Austin
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment/Retention
Strategies Employed:
The Department of Communication Sciences and
Disorders at the University of Texas at Austin has been engaged
in efforts to recruit and educate talented students from varied
cultural and linguistic backgrounds for the past twenty years.
During this time more than one hundred master's level
students have graduated from a specialized training sequence in
bilingual speech-language pathology and audiology.
Students from traditionally underrepresented
groups are recruited from courses in speech-language pathology,
based upon language and culture, contacts with faculty members at
other universities, and from the response to program-related
announcements sent to training programs throughout the United
States and Canada.
The faculty is representative of the students
recruited to the program. As of the 2002-2003 academic year, four
faculty members are bilingual and three are from traditionally
underrepresented groups. These educators serve as mentors and
advisors throughout the educational experience, from prospective
student to graduate.
Faculty, staff and students at the University
of Texas at Austin all have roles and responsibilities in
creating an academic community where there is an appreciation of
cultural differences that enhance learning.
Contact person:
Dr. Thomas C. Marquardt
Contact Information:
University of Texas at Austin, Department of Communication
Sciences and Disorders, Austin, TX 78712. Telephone:
572-476-6831. Fax: 512-471-2957. E-mail:
tmarq@mail.utexas.edu
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University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment/Retention/Career Transition
Strategies Employed:
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has
created Project DUIT (Diverse Urban Interdisciplinary Teams) to
encourage students from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups
with a strong academic background, or documented recent superior
performance in their employment situation to consider careers in
the communications sciences and disorders.
The DUIT program involves a partnership with
the Milwaukee Public Schools and operates under funding from the
US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
Project DUIT focuses on early childhood special education,
occupational therapy, and communication sciences and disorders.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee CSD faculty provide
training across the target disciplines, so graduates will be
fully prepared to provide services on interdisciplinary
teams.
Project participants receive tuition and
textbook assistance depending upon the credit hours taken per
semester and the availability of funding. At the conclusion of
their training, they are also provided with assistance in
obtaining employment within settings consistent with their
Project DUIT experience.
Contact person:
Ms. Paula Rhyner
Contact Information:
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Communication Sciences &
Disorders, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201. Telephone:
414-229-4878, E-mail:
prhyner@Uwm.edu
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Western Carolina University
Program Emphasis:
Recruitment/Retention
Strategies Employed:
Western Carolina University has targeted
historically black colleges and universities, and its sister
university in Jamaica, in its efforts to identify racial/ethnic
minority students. Communication is initiated early and continues
over a period of time, and prospective students are encouraged to
first learn about the professions of human communication sciences
and disorders, and then determine their level of interest and
ability to meet the academic rigors required for success.
Once admitted, WCU encourages students to
participate in a mentoring program managed by faculty and senior
students. Throughout their academic experience, students are
supported with financial assistance and encouraged to seek
additional grants and scholarships on an individual basis.
Contact person:
Ruby Drew, Program Director
Contact Information:
Western Carolina University, Communication Disorders, 204
Killian, Cullowhee, NC 28723. Telephone: 828-227-3834. E-mail:
drew@wcu.edu
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