Clarification of the recent media reports about the elimination of CSD

For those who may be interested in the recent announcements about the MSU budget cuts. The Department of CSD will be eliminated over the next few years. Eventually, what remains of CSD will be absorbed into the Department of Communications The undergraduate degree program will not accept new students beginning in January 2010. The MA program will continue, at least as of this round of budget cuts; that is what we have been told. The decision to eliminate the department was made by the college administration and by the University's Provost, Dr. Kim Wilcox (a CSD faculty member and an ASHA Fellow, BTW). CSD facutly had virtually no input into the decision. It is not clear how this decision would save the university any funds, or with the loss of the undergraduate tuition, it may actually lose revenue. We were told that the decision to elminate the undergraduate program is because of the drastic decline in state funding to the univeristy, and an attempt to increase graduate enrollment at the institution.

There are 300 undergraduate students and ~62 graduate students who are currently enrolled. It is noteworthy that CSD has:
- the highest overall GPA in the college;
-the highest number of majors in the honor's college in CAS;
-the lowest number of students on academic probation in the college;
-the highest number of graduate school placement in the college;
-the highest employment rate for our MA graduates (100%) in the college;
-the largest student group in the college (NSSLHA membership = 130);
-each graduate class contributes over 16000 hours of clinical service to the community;
-the longest running study abroad program in communicative disorders in the USA;
-a program where over 95% of the graduate students have an international health care experience;
-a 97% pass rate on the national exam (Praxis).

More pictures can be found at shutterfly

We are coming home!

Some of us arrived home from the Yucatan late last night. The remainder of the group is in the air now on the flight back to the USA. Here are some of the pictures from the last week. More will be added soon.

Winding down

Outstanding. Simply an outstanding effort by the graduate students for their efforts over the last several days. I have tried to load videos and pictures but it seems the wireless portal where the clinic is located is not fast enough to support the uploads. Once we are home, I will update this site with pictures and videos. However, on this last afternoon our our clinic I am pleased and impressed with the efforts of each member of our team. It is rewarding to hear the comments from observers who mention the way the students eagerly accept the responsibility for any patient, no matter how complex, and the professional, confident manner in which they evaluate the case.

Tomorrow we will meet with all of the patients or their families to discuss the candiates for the virtual clinic. Tomorrow is a predictor of our success; it is also a time to reflect on the future. The future of some of our cases will be determined, but the future of these 21 graduate students is secure. They will be valuable, capable professionals. It has been a pleasure to work with them.

Here we go!

The packing is done. #39 has begun. Most of the group will arrive in Cancun on Wednesday, October 14th. It is hoped that each day some video content will be posted here for those who wish to follow the project and it's participants.

For anyone who is interested there is an event on Saturday, Oct. 10th at Xcaret to announce the new Angel Notion Hospital. For those who would like to watch the event please see the link as shown in this posting from the Angel Notion Blog.
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Angel Notion has the great pleasure to invite all of you to a cocktail presentation of our grand project “Angel Notion Hospital” in Playa del Carmen. We are honored with the presence of our distinguished mayor, Roman Quian Alcocer. The cocktail will take place on October 10, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. at the Occidental Grand Xcaret, Salón Xcaret, Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo.

RSVP - 984 877 5108 and 984 119 0945.

If you are unable to attend you may login to see a simultaneous presentation with this link. Don’t miss it!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/angel-notion—october-10th-conference