Endowed Scholarship Fund for CSD Majors
In 2006, Yvonne Saddler Nielsen of Cullowhee (seated) and Brett Woods, director of annual giving at WCU, signed an agreement creating a new endowed scholarship fund for CSD majors.
read more about the fund
Catherine Brewer Smith Distinguised Professor
Dr. Nancy Helm-Estabrooks joined the faculty in July as the Catherine Brewer Smith Distinguished Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dr. Estabrooks is nationally renowned as expert in adult neurogenic disorders. She has had previous affiliations with the Harold Goodglass Aphasia Research Center and Boston University School of Medicine, the National Center for Neurogenic Communication Disorders at the University of Arizona, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Estabrooks holds numerous certifications, honors, and awards and has published over 100 professional papers, books, and products.
Student Poster to be Presented at the American Speech Language and Hearing Association Annual Convention in New Orleans
Seven graduate students from the WCU Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders will be presenting along with Dr. Georgia Hambrecht at the national conference of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association this November in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nicole McRight, Tyra Minton, Lauren Sandherr-Rhein, Jordan Simmons, Michael Taylor, Caroline Workman, and Rhian Vanderburg will present a poster session titled, Examples of Service Learning Embedded within a Professional Preparation Effort. Service learning combines classroom education with meaningful service. The poster reports on three independent service learning experiences associated with the students’ participation in a Department of Education funded personnel preparation project in severe disabilities. Featured service learning focused on community needs related to communication deficits. Experiences involved students with disabilities and their primary stakeholders. Experiences were evaluated based on perspectives of the presenters, parents, teachers and the overall impact of their service contributions.
Three CSD Professors Work on Texts
Drs. Georgia Hambrecht, David Shapiro, and Tracie Rice are in the process of completing two texts related to the management of communication disorders. Dr. Hambrecht and Rice will submit their manuscript entitled Clinical Observation in Speech, Language, and Hearing to Jones and Bartlett publishers by the end of the fall semester. The book is written for the pre-clinical or early clinical student in speech language pathology. The text gives clear direction for guided observations so learners will have a better idea of what they may be observing, why it is relevant, and how observations serve as a building-block to their future role as clinicians. Early manuscript drafts have received strong reviews with one reader describing the text as a "must have" resource for speech language pathology clinical supervisors, pre-clinical students, and first year graduate clinicians.Dr. David Shapiro is completing his second edition of Stuttering Intervention: A Collaborative Journey to Fluency Freedom. This year-long effort will culminate this fall with a manuscript submission to ProEd. The first edition of this book (1999) has found a broad national and international audience and is a frequent choice of professors teaching in the area of speech fluency and fluency disorders. Dr. Shapiro, WCU’s first Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor, is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and a world renowned expert in stuttering.
Ogletree a Part of Large Severe Disabilities Study
Dr. Bill Ogletree, along with other members of the National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities, just completed a paper entitled “Twenty years of Communication Intervention Research with Individuals who have Severe Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.” This paper, currently submitted to the American Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, evaluates the state of evidence supporting communication interaction intervention for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities.
Ogletree, Hambrecht, and Shapiro Funded to Offer Personnel Preparation in Severe Disabilities
In August of 2008, Drs. Ogletree, Hambrecht, and Shapiro learned that their personnel preparation project in severe disabilities and autism was funded for a four-year cycle beginning January of 2009. The $786,219 award from the U.S. Department of Education will be used to fund students in WCU’s M.S. Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders and practicing speech-language pathologists in the field. Participants will receive stipends to take courses in severe disabilities and autism and will receive specialized clinical training. Appealing aspects of the project include a mentoring component to help participants share what they learn and the involvement of nationally recognized experts as instructors. To apply for this unique opportunity, contact Dr. Bill Ogletree at ogletee@wcu.edu. Students considering WCU for graduate school should note that project stipends are in excess of in-state tuition and fees.
Shapiro Named 1st Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor David Shapiro has been named Western Carolina University's first Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor. Dr. Shapiro will be actively enraged with research and international service and clinical externships through this appointment. This is an exciting time for Dr. Shapiro and the Communication Sciences and Disorders department!
Dialect Project Continues
In 2005, WCU began a five-year contracted project with Ohio State University to collect and analyze speech samples from individuals in Western North Carolina. The contract was initially secured by Dr. Martin Fischer and funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). This research effort will continue until 2010 with Dr. Bill Ogletree and Ms. Janaye Houghton serving as WCU project faculty.