2022-2027 HSLS Strategic Plan 

Goal Area 1: Student Training 

• Aligns with Gallaudet Promise Priority: Extraordinary Learning and Academic Excellence Across the Lifespan

Goal Statement 1: Prepare the next generation of professionals in speech-language pathology; audiology; and hearing, speech, and language sciences.

• Objective 1: Audiology, SLP, and PhD programs will recruit qualified and diverse students.

• At least one faculty will seek funding opportunities to support students through research and/or training grants per 5 year cycle. 

• A team of faculty will develop a post-baccalaureate program to funnel students to the clinical programs by the end of the 5 year cycle.

• Program directors will assess admissions criteria yearly to adapt to current trends in higher education.

• Program directors will assess admissions trends yearly to adjust recruitment strategies.

• Objective 2: Audiology and SLP Programs will achieve and maintain accreditation with the Council on Academic Accreditation and the PhD program will maintain standards of learning approved by Gallaudet Council of Graduate Education.

• HSLS coordinator will identify a systematic process to effectively monitor and assess compliance with ASHA Accreditation Standards (AY 2023-2024).

• Program directors will complete program-level assessments in the university-identified software each year. 

• SLP and AuD programs will conduct annual curriculum review to ensure alignment of program and student learner outcomes with ASHA’s 2020 Standards for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) and Audiology (CCC-A).

• Program directors will create and annually update an alumni mailing list to monitor Praxis completion and administer post-graduation surveys.

• Objective 3: Faculty and clinical educators will work on improving teaching skills by incorporating evidence-based methodologies in their teaching and supervision. 

• SLP and AuD Program Directors will create (AY 2023-2024) and implement (AY 2024-2025) procedures to support academic-clinical partnerships. 

• 75% of faculty and clinical educators will engage in continuing education in the area of scholarship of teaching/supervision each year.

• Objective 4: Faculty and clinical educators will develop effective clinical and research training opportunities.

•  HSLS coordinator and internship coordinators will initiate 1-2 new affiliations to increase research collaborations and training experiences over the five year cycle.

• 50% of research labs will implement a student-to-student peer mentorship model.

• SLP and AuD programs will assess the effectiveness of their clinical student-to-student peer mentoring programs (AY 2024-2025).

• PhD program will identify opportunities to offer cross-disciplinary electives (AY 2025-2026).

Goal Area 2: Research and Scholarship 

• Aligns with Gallaudet Promise Priority: Knowledge Creation and Discovery

Goal Statement 2: Produce high-quality research, scholarship, and creative activities.

• Objective 1: Faculty will seek support for faculty and student research, scholarly, and creative scholarly activities (RSCA).

• HSLS program directors (in collaboration with School Director and faculty) will review workloads each semester to ensure equitable allocation of research time, including opportunities to seek a course release to apply for a research grant.

• HSLS writing mentor will develop and implement a research peer mentorship plan (AY 2022-2023).

• HSLS faculty research advisors will encourage all eligible graduate student researchers to apply for small research grants or other sources of research support each year.

• HSLS coordinator will work with the Gallaudet research director to identify additional mechanisms for support (AY 2023-2024).

• Objective 2: HSLS will ensure that all tenure-track and tenured faculty have active lines of RSCA activities.

• 75% of HSLS faculty will have students working in their labs each year.

• 75% of HSLS faculty will disseminate at least one RSCA product (presentation or publication) per year.

• HSLS program directors and programs will collaborate to identify ways to minimize administrative burdens in order to increase time for research (AY 2024-2025).

• Objective 3: HSLS will facilitate RSCA collaborations and mentorship.

• HSLS coordinator will identify mechanisms to increase the number of undergraduate students working with HSLS faculty (AY 2022-2023).

• HSLS faculty and clinical educators will identify at least two opportunities for new clinical research collaborations over the five year period.

• HSLS faculty will seek opportunities to disseminate research within Gallaudet over the five year period.

Goal Area 3: Diversity, Bilingualism, and Multiculturalism 

• Aligns with Gallaudet Promise Imperatives: Belonging and Equity; Bilingual Mission

Goal Statement 3: Maintain an equitable, diverse, and inclusive department that contributes to bilingual competence and multiculturalism in the profession.

• Objective 1: Audiology, SLP, and PhD programs will identify and employ strategies to increase diversity within the student body, faculty, and staff.

• Program directors will identify the percentage of applicants that meet diversity and inclusion criteria each year.

• Programs will identify a new recruitment strategy to employ or an existing strategy to modify over the five-year period.

• Objective 2: HSLS will increase the number of opportunities for faculty and staff to engage in training related to diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence.

• At least 75% of faculty and staff will attend relevant training or complete a relevant CEU each year.

• HSLS will offer at least one relevant symposium or interprofessional education opportunity each year.

• Objective 3: Audiology, SLP, and PhD programs will incorporate curriculum and practicum experiences related to diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence. 

• 100% of graduate students will meet GLIDE (Graduate Level Inclusion and Diversity Experience) requirements. 

• Each program will update the GLIDE proposal every three years with at least one additional opportunity for students to increase cultural competence.

• Internship coordinators will create criteria (AY 2022-2023) and monitor practicum sites (annually) to ensure that >25% of practicum sites involve culturally and linguistically diverse clients and/or interprofessional teams. 

• Objective 4: HSLS will support and advocate for the acquisition of ASL-English bilingual competency for faculty, staff, and students.

• Programs will support course releases for ASL each semester for faculty and release time for staff for the first three years of employment.

• Programs will continue to advocate for free ASL courses sufficient to allow students to meet program requirements.

• HSLS will work to ensure that each faculty member in their fourth year and beyond has at least one official responsibility requiring ASL use (e.g., school or university level committee, teaching assignment in ASL).

• Objective 5: HSLS will investigate opportunities to advocate for D/HH individuals within the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology.

• HSLS will create a standing committee for advocacy (AY 2022-2023).

• Advocacy committee will establish ties with the Office of Multicultural Affairs at ASHA (AY 2023-2024).

Goal Area 4: Client Services

• Aligns with Gallaudet Promise Imperative: Innovation for Impact

Goal Statement 4: Provide comprehensive and evidence-based hearing, speech, language, swallowing and balance services.

• Objective 1: The GUHSC will expand the breadth and diversity of client services.

• Clinic staff will increase the breadth of clinical expertise among providers through hiring and/or training over the five year period.

• Clinic director will establish and oversee efforts to increase public awareness of GUHSC among the greater Gallaudet community as well as in the Greater DC area via various marketing and outreach efforts over the five year period.

• GUHSC will collect data annually in order to monitor and possibly increase diversity of clients and services over the five year period.

• Objective 2: The GUHSC will use client and operational data for scholarly and business research.

• Clinic director and interested faculty/clinicians will collaborate to identify information that could be used for research purposes intended to support evidence-based clinical services. (AY 2023-2024).

• Clinic director will publish demographic data annually.

• Clinic director with support of clinicians will explore and establish a database for research and development in the clinic (AY 2022-2023) and publish demographic data annually.

Goal Statement 5: The GUHSC will identify and implement strategies to achieve fiscal sustainability.

• Objective 1: The GUHSC will identify and implement strategies to achieve fiscal sustainability.

• Clinic director and clinicians will update and establish (as needed) operational policies and procedures (AY 2022-2023).

• Clinic director, program directors and clinical coordinators will  establish clinician workloads when taking into consideration fiscal objectives and academic program needs. 

• Clinic director will update fees for service and product pricing each year.

• Clinic director will work with legal counsel to update insurance and vendor contract agreements, manage risk, and ensure compliance.

• Clinic director will establish an efficient system to collect insurance/clinical fees (FYs 2022-2024).

• Clinic director will ensure appropriate staffing levels to maintain and/or increase volume and diversity of clinical services 

• Clinic Director will actively seek grant and donation/gift opportunities to support the clinic with student education/experience and client service.