New Name, Same Mission: WT’s Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences Continues to Provide Experts in Critical Field

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — One of West Texas A&M University’s more acclaimed departments now has a new name that better encapsulates the broad range of studies it offers.

WT’s former Department of Communication Disorders is now the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences in the University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

The new name signifies the work done by the faculty and staff of the highly regarded department, said Dr. Brenda Cross, department head and clinical assistant professor.

“Professionals in our field are the experts in speech, language, swallowing and hearing disorders,” Cross said. “Our new name is a better reflection of the science that underpins everything we do in our field. Speech-language pathology and audiology are healthcare professionals, and we emphasize models of care balancing evidence, research and innovation with clinical observations.”

The department dates back at least 25 years, and a previous program was in place in the 1970s.

The department was named Best Speech-Language Pathology Program in 2018 and 2021 SpeechPathologyGraduatePrograms.org.

“We have an excellent team of faculty—what I call the dream team,” said Dr. Holly Jeffreys, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Communication doesn’t have to be termed a disorder; the science behind speech and hearing is something we are passionate about and it’s something we are really good at. At a recent site visit, even an accrediting body told us ‘you guys are one of the hidden gems in the country’.”

The WT Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences includes eight faculty members and about 75 undergraduate and graduate students.

The department’s mission includes preparing students for careers in speech-language pathology, fulfilling the need for those experts in the Texas Panhandle, the state and the nation. Faculty members are clinicians as well as instructors who engage in research and teach students the art of clinical practice.

Graduate student clinicians, supervised by WT faculty, provide services to outpatient clients in the WT Speech and Hearing Clinic. The clinic offers speech, language and swallowing therapies, as well as hearing evaluation and amplification for all ages.

Speech-language pathologists, or SLPs, are healthcare professionals who work to prevent, assess, diagnose and treat a variety of conditions and disorders related to communication and swallowing. Sometimes informally referred to as “speech therapists,” SLPs emerged as a formal profession in the 20th century.

In addition to working in public schools to remediate speech sounds in children or help with stutters, SLPs can work in a variety of settings with patients across the lifespan. In neonatal intensive care units, SLPs might work with a baby learn to coordinate their suck and swallow pattern for oral nutrition.

SLPs have become imperative in the early identification of disorders like autism and dyslexia. Many SLPs work in the hospital where they help persons who have experienced a stroke learn to talk again and eat safely by avoiding choking hazards.

An SLP may also help with ventilator and tracheostomy care. In a nursing home, it may be the SLP’s job to arrange the environment to minimize confusion for residents with Alzheimer’s dementia. Many SLPs now help program devices that help nonverbal individuals have a voice.

The department is a key way in which WT addresses regional challenges, a guiding principle of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: Faculty members of West Texas A&M University’s newly renamed Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences include, front from left, Dr. Brenda Cross; Melissa Simons, Zeth Collom, Dr. Traci Fredman, Darla Marcear and Morgan Brown, and, back from left, Valerie Parker, Landon Brown and Dr. Brian Spencer.

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