Communication Disorders News
MINOT SERTOMA CLUB DONATES $36,000 TO MSU FOUNDATION
For Immediate Release: Date: March 20, 2013
Continuing a tradition of supporting Minot State University speech and hearing efforts, the Minot Sertoma Club contributed $36,000 today (March 20) to the MSU Development Foundation. The donation will fund the purchase of new voice lab equipment for the Department of Communication Disorders and enhance the Minot Sertoma Club Scholarship fund.
“The digital equipment donated by the Minot Sertoma Club offers MSU students high-quality, advanced technology for comprehensive vocal assessment,” said Lisa Roteliuk, communication disorders instructor. “The equipment offers a recording system which will enhance clinical efficiency and reporting of findings. The equipment will be utilized for student learning, in-clinic patient assessments and research purposes.”
In 1989, the Minot Sertoma Club established the Minot Sertoma Club Scholarship to assist MSU communication disorders students. Twenty years ago, the local service club purchased voice lab evaluation equipment for the department. State-of-the-art technology then was analog, today it is digital. With today’s donation, the club’s total donation to MSU is approximately $175,000.
“We are extremely grateful for Sertoma's support of our speech-language pathology program. This generous donation will allow us to once again have the latest technology available to train students and to serve clients in our on-campus clinic,” said Leisa Harmon, communication disorders department chair.
“With this $20,000 gift, we are pleased to enhance the Minot Sertoma Club Scholarship fund that is dedicated to assisting students advancing their education towards speech and hearing careers. This contribution brings the endowment to over $90,000 from which annual scholarships are awarded,” said Connie Feist, Minot Sertoma Club president. “We are also proud to announce an additional $16,000 gift, which will be used to purchase voice lab equipment used within the communication disorders department. This will upgrade equipment that is used as learning tools and benefits the entire speech-and-hearing community.”
The Minot Sertoma Club has a 53-year history of Service to Mankind in the Minot area. It has a mission of supporting speech and hearing projects, youth-related projects and national heritage efforts. Its primary fundraisers are a Høstfest car raffle, Beer Fest and Christmas in the Park, an annual light display in Oak Park from Black Friday through Dec.. 31.
GRADUATE PROGRAM GRANTED ACCREDITATION THROUGH 2020
For Immediate Release: Date: Aug. 17, 2012MSU COMMUNICATION DISORDERS CELEBRATES REACCREDITATION
The Minot State University Department of Communication Disorders’ speech-language pathology graduate program recently received reaccreditation through Feb. 29, 2020, by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
“We are pleased that the CAA recognized the strength of our program by granting us continued accreditation for the next eight years,” said Leisa Harmon, chair of the Department of Communication Disorders.
CAA holds six standards as essential to quality education in the audiology and speech-language professions: administrative structure and governance, faculty, curriculum (academic and clinical education), students, assessment and program resources. CAA site visitors spent two days at MSU in February. They reviewed the program, examined the facilities and on-site Communication Disorders Clinic and interviewed faculty, staff, students, alumni, employers and consumers. MSU’s master’s degree program in speech-language pathology was found to be in complete compliance with all standards.
To document MSU’s due diligence in continuing compliance, the communication disorders department will submit its next annual report by Feb. 1, 2013. The university’s next on-site visit is scheduled in eight years.
“I am grateful to all faculty and staff who helped prepare for the CAA visit,” Harmon said.
CAA, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s accrediting body, is the only accrediting agency for audiology and speech-language pathology education programs recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and U.S. Department of Education.
Externships
Second-year graduate students in Communication Disorders continue to be highly recruited to complete their 16-week, full-time externships in North Dakota, Canada, and several states in the US. In 2011, 20 students completed their externships in North Dakota and four in other US states. Upon completion of the externship, all students were offered a position. Some graduate students were offered a stipend during the externship, which ranged from $10,000 to $16,000. Beginning salaries in speech-language pathology range from $30,000 to $60,000.
MSU Students have Outstanding Graduation Rates, Employment Rates, and Praxis Scores
For the 2011 graduate class, 19 of 20 students completed the master’s program for a 95% graduation rate. All of the students were immediately employed upon graduation, yielding a 100% employment rate. During the 2010-2011 testing cycle, 17 graduate students took the national Praxis Examination. The average MSU student score was 712. The passing score was 600, with a national average at 668.
Financial Assistance
All first and second year graduate students are eligible for financial assistance at MSU. Students may apply for financial loans or apply for graduate assistantships, university awards, departmental scholarships or externship stipends. In addition, scholarship opportunities exist with the local Sertoma Organization. The CD Department receives four scholarships from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction that cover tuition and books.
New Graduate Class of 2012
The demand for speech-language pathologists continues to be high. Currently, over 150 undergraduate students are majoring in Communication Disorders. Twenty-nine new graduate students joined the 23 second-year graduate students in the program. In addition, six post-baccalaureate students have been admitted into the program.
Faculty Update
- Ms. Kylee Geer joined the faculty in Fall 2012 as a clinical supervisor.
2012 ASHA Convention
Several MSU faculty and students attended the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in Atlanta, Georgia in November. Faculty and students presented several posters and/or seminars at ASHA including the following:
- Ms. Melissa Herzig, Ms. Leisa Harmon, & Kristina Thunberg, 1st year graduate student, presented a seminar on "Effectively Reading Books with Children: Techniques for Students and Supervisors."
- Dr. Ann Beste-Guldborg & Dr. Ken O. St. Louis, from West Virginia University, presented a poster titled "Northern Plains Indians Knowledge, Perceptions, and Beliefs Toward Stuttering."
- Nicole Campanale, 2nd year graduate student, Dr. Ann Beste-Guldborg, Dr. Ken O. St. Louis, Ms. Melissa Herzig, and Dr. Warren Gamas presented a poster titled "Eastern American Indians Perceptions about Stuttering."
- Dr. Ann Beste-Guldborg and Nicole Campanale, 2nd year graduate student, presented a poster titled "Stuttering and Cluttering: Perceptions of Undergraduate Students."
- Ms. Leisa Harmon and Ms. Lisa Roteliuk presented a poster titled "Lessons Learned: Is Your Program Prepared for a Natural Disaster?"
- Jordan Hagemeister, 2nd year graduate student, Dr. Lesley Magnus, Dr. Ann Beste-Guldborg, and Dr. Warren Gamas presented a poster titled "Assessment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Survey of Current Practices."
- Kendal Carlberg, 2nd year graduate student, Dr. Cheryl Gilson, Dr. Ann Beste-Guldborg, and Dr. Linrud presented a poster titled " Factors Affecting the Duration and Intensity of Aphasia Therapy."
Updated: April 2013