Honoring Auburn University’s land-grant mission and our vision to lead, the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences will set itself apart from others and shape the future by providing high-quality innovative academic instruction, diverse clinical experiences and impactful research opportunities to undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in the health fields of audiology and speech-language pathology. Our graduates will selflessly serve and distinguish themselves by becoming respected leaders through the provision of state-of-the-art, evidence-based and compassionate person-centered clinical services to our communities at local, state, regional, national and global levels. We are guided by the Auburn University and College of Liberal Arts' strategic plans that provide the foundation for our values, mission, vision and goals that follow.
OUR VALUES
Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Compassion, Community
OUR MISSION
The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) cultivates critically thinking clinicians and scientists through collaborative, high-quality education and meaningful research to compassionately serve and advocate for individuals with communication needs in the local, national and global communities.
OUR VISION
Leading through innovative teaching, collaborative research and compassionate clinical care.
DEPARTMENT GOALS
SLHS Auburn Experience
Goal 1: Provide SLHS undergraduates more opportunities to explore the programming of our department.
- Year one (2020)
- Provide an Audiology junior clinician opportunity to UG students by Fall 2020.
- Year two (2021)
- Explore reordering the class sequence so students can have hands-on experience in Audiology before graduate school applications are due.
Goal 2: Revise the undergraduate curriculum with a focus towards providing pre-professional and foundational coursework that will cultivate critical thinkers.
- Year one (2020)
- Develop and submit a revised curricular map for the undergraduate program (Fall 2020).
- Year two (2021)
- Initiate new undergraduate curriculum.
Goal 3: Develop more IPP/IPE and diverse clinical experiences for student learning.
- Year one (2020)
- Implement one new program that will increase adult clinical clock hours in speech.
- Year two (2021)
- Provide a minimum of two simulation-based opportunities across the two graduate programs.
- Implement a second new program that will provide adult clock hours in speech.
- Year three (2022)
- Provide a minimum of three simulation-based opportunities across the two graduate programs.
Goal 4: Submit and initiate a PhD program.
- Year one (2020)
- Submit a PhD program proposal.
- Year two (2021)
- Hire one new faculty member to support PhD program.
- Year three (2022)
- Pursue two additional hires.
- Have 2 students enrolled in PhD program.
- With the acquisition of a PhD program, faculty who have students in the program will have their teaching loads adjusted to reflect the PhD load requirements of the college.
- Year four (2023)
- Have 4 students enrolled in PhD program.
Goal 5: Increase the number of external contracts for student externship placement.
- Year one (2020)
- Generate a list of current placements and other site we could place students.
- Generate and distribute a survey for off-site supervisors that assess needs and barriers to student placement at sites.
- Year two (2021)
- Increase the number of local individual placement sites across programs by 5% from baseline.
- Year three (2022)
- Identify a path by which students can experience two or more off-campus placements prior to internship.
Goal 6: All SLP students will use simulation to increase clinical clock hours in low incidence cases to meet CAA requirements by the end of their last semester on campus.
- Year one (2020)
- The SLP clinical faculty will develop a process for providing SLP students simulation hours outside of class time.
- The academic faculty will identify simulation that can be incorporated into existing graduate courses.
- Year three (2022)
- Each student will graduate with a minimum of 40 simulation hours.
Transformational Research
Goal 1: To improve quantity and quality of research and scholarship by building infrastructure.
- Year one (2020)
- The department will have a minimum of one external grant submission per year.
- The department will have a minimum of one internal grant submission per year.
- Faculty will have on average 1-2 publications per year in journals with high impact factor in line with the field.
- Year two (2021)
- The department will have a minimum of two external grant submissions per year.
- The department will have a minimum of two internal grant submissions per year.
- Faculty will have on average 2 publications per year in journals with high impact factor in line with the field.
- Years three-five (2022-2024)
- The department will have a minimum of three external grant submissions per year.
- The department will have a minimum of two internal grant submissions per year.
- Faculty will have on average 2-3 publications per year in journals with high impact factor in line with the field.
- The department will increase external clinic contracts by identifying 1 new training opportunity (non-tenure track).
Goal 2: Revise P&T standards to be more commensurate with aspirational peers.
- Year one (2020)
- Identify where we currently stand in the national reputation and identify an aspirational university. Use academic analytics as a mechanism for creating measurable goals.
- Revise P&T standards.
Goal 3: Improve grant infrastructure for pre- and post-award processes.
- Year one (2020)
- Advocate for documented timelines for submissions at the college and university (OSP) and expected timelines of completion.
- Improve communication mechanisms to make grant submission and contract tracking transparent.
- Year two (2021)
- Develop departmental specific materials and templates for grant submission.
- Send administrative assistant to COMPASS grants training.
- Identify sources of collaboration for statistical support.
- Year three (2022)
- Work with ADR to establish paths for statistical collaboration/ faculty training.
Impactful Service
Goal 1: Increase engagement with community.
- Year one (2020)
- Identify five new community partners in the next year.
- Year two (2021)
- Contact three additional community partners to discuss collaborating on projects.
- Plan and initiate one community engagement activity with a community partner with the department students, staff, and faculty.
- Year three (2022)
- Plan and initiate two new community engagement activities with community partners with the department students, staff, and faculty.
- Year four (2023)
- Plan and initiate one new community engagement activity with community partners with the department students, staff, and faculty.
- Year five (2024)
- Plan and initiate one new community engagement activity with community partners with the department students, staff, and faculty.
- Maintain established community engagement activities.
Goal 2: Marketing clinic and academic programs – value added
- Year one (2020)
- Identifiers for marketing (i.e. tablecloth, display boards, banners, etc.).
- Finalize the department logo and brand.
- Order identifiers and materials for marketing.
- Year two (2021)
- Hold one in-service or lunch ‘n’ learn for caregivers and/or health professionals.
- Year three (2022)
- Hold two in-service or lunch ‘n’ learn for caregivers and/or health professionals.
Exceptional and Engaged Faculty and Staff
Goal 1: The department will hold brown bag meetings for faculty and students to present current research in order to increase awareness of current research and clinical practices.
- Year one (2020)
- The department will develop a committee and generate a process and schedule for brown bag meetings.
- Year two (2021)
- The department will have a minimum of one brown bag per Fall and Spring semesters.
- Year three (2022)
- The department will have a minimum of two brown bags per Fall and Spring semesters.
Goal 2: The awards committee will develop a process for nominating faculty.
- The faculty awards committee will nominate a minimum of two faculty members annually for college and university awards.
- In each April faculty meeting, faculty will nominate a department or university staff member for a Spirit of Excellence and/or Employee Award in order to recognize exceptional staff.
Goal 3: Provide an annual grant writing training opportunity to faculty.
- For example, a representative from CLA Research Development could attend a faculty meeting to discuss grant writing, training and opportunities in order to increase faculty awareness and preparation of grants.
Goal 4: Provide an annual opportunity for faculty to explore innovative teaching practices.
- For example, have a representative from the Biggio Center attend a faculty meeting to discuss innovative teaching practices in order to increase student engagement.
Goal 5: Develop a policy for three-year contracts for clinical faculty
- Year one (2020)
- Develop a committee and develop a policy for NTT faculty to receive three-year contracts.
- Year two (2021)
- Generate three-year contacts for eligible faculty.
Strategic Enrollment
Goal 1: Complete a recruitment self-study and implement a recruitment plan.
- Year one (2020)
- Identify barriers and opportunities to diverse student enrollment.
- Year two (2021)
- Develop a more diverse social media presence and promotional materials.
- Year three (2022)
- Develop a strategy to target more diverse and non-traditional students.
- Year four (2023)
- Implement identified recruitment strategy.
- Explore global partnerships.
Goal 2: Explore options and opportunities for non-traditional course formats to increase financial opportunities and reach more diverse students.
- Year one (2020)
- Identify online teaching resources - invite speakers, identify tools.
- Identify training for alternative teaching method.
- Year two (2021)
- Identify whether we can provide more flexible paths through our curriculum.
- Identify curriculum that can be offered in nontraditional and more flexible formats.
- Explore open enrollment of select courses to students in other programs.
Operational Excellence
Goal 1: Acquire and implement new EMR.
- Year one (2020)
- All student clinicians, clinical staff and faculty will be utilizing Point and Click to manage client information.
- We will migrate clinic files for all active clients in the clinic.
- Year two (2021)
- We will begin migration of files for clients not currently being seen in the clinic.
- Year three (2022)
- We will finish file migration and terminate contract with Practice Perfect.
Goal 2: The department will upgrade the audio/visual system.
- Year one (2020)
- The AV committee will meet regularly and correspond with other professionals to develop an AV proposal with supporting quotes.
- Year two (2021)
- Install new AV system.
Goal 3: The HIPAA committee will work to increase student access after-hours.
- Year one (2020)
- Develop an approved procedure for SLP students to have after-hours access to audio/visual equipment.
- Develop an approved procedure for clinic students to have ongoing access to the clinic computers and equipment outside regular clinic hours using HIPAA approved access procedures.
Goal 4: The department will develop a plan to identify new space needed for the PhD program and a plan to relocate the department.
- Year one (2020)
- The department chair will work in conjunction with the space committee to determine the square footage needs of the department in anticipation of a future PhD program and communicate needs to dean.
- Establish a plan with the development office and CLA facilities manager to build a clinic or relocate the clinic.
Goal 5: Market and brand the department.
- Year one (2020)
- Rename the department: Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.
- Implement 1 new community marketing piece.
- Come to a consensus on a graphic identifier for the department and get approvals for use of graphic identifier.
- Develop departmental promotional materials.
- Year two (2021)
- Rename clinical programs to align with new department name.
- Implement a second community marketing piece.