$3.5 million investment will expand the building and launch master’s program in communication sciences and disorders in the 2020-21 academic year

In recent years, more students have shown interest in Augustana’s communication sciences and disorders (CSD) program, partially in response to a national shortage of speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

CSD faculty also noticed another trend: our graduates are competing with each other for a limited number of openings in the nation’s top graduate programs. Their research shows
a strong need for more CSD graduate programs to meet the growing student interest and the nationwide demand for speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

“Because of the aging population, advances in healthcare and other factors, we predict that the demand for speech-language pathologists and audiologists will remain consistently high for the foreseeable future,” said Dr. Allison Haskill, professor of communication sciences and disorders.

With the combined strength of the college’s undergraduate students and CSD program and faculty, it became clear that Augustana would be an ideal place to create a top-notch, accelerated CSD master’s program. In the spring of 2016, Augustana faculty approved adding a CSD master’s program, and the accreditation process began. The graduate program is slated to launch in 2020, with master’s-level coursework offered to the first cohort of 20 graduate students that summer.

Since 2007, the Betsey Brodahl Building has been the hub of CSD academic and clinical activity, with classrooms, faculty and clinician offices, student clinical workspaces, and the Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing. But as it stands today, the Brodahl Building cannot accommodate an accelerated master’s program for 20 students, in addition to the 120-student undergraduate program.

The graduate program will involve new faculty, clinicians, academic courses and student/client clinical interactions—which in turn will require offices, classrooms, labs, therapy rooms, conference spaces and observation rooms.

“Currently, if students or clients’ family members wish to observe sessions, they must stand outside rooms and view intervention sessions from a small window in the doors,” Dr. Haskill said. “This results in congestion in our hallways and can be distracting to both our clients and their student clinicians.”

The addition will more than double the size of the Brodahl Building. It will provide spaces and equipment required to continue the rigorous undergraduate program; accommodate graduate student work in the classroom, clinic and research labs; add to the number of student clinic hours; and attract and retain additional outstanding faculty and clinicians.

The Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing inside Brodahl is the clinic and training site where faculty, students, and licensed and certified clinicians provide assessment and intervention services to community residents with a variety of communication disorders. The Center is a key component of both the undergraduate and planned graduate programs. The Brodahl addition will provide the Center and students, staff, faculty and clients the technology, equipment and room to use the most effective therapies and continue best practices in patient/client care and student learning.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring/summer of 2018.

A pdf of the Brodahl renovation/expansion.

Those interested in supporting this project may contact Kent Barnds, executive vice president for external relations, at 309-794-7662, 800-798-8100 x7662 or wkentbarnds@augustana.edu.