The Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology 2021 Newsletter “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” - Gever Tulley Well, 2020, you sure gave us that chance. Just a little over a year ago, who could have imagined that educators, clinicians, and scientists in higher education would be forced to pivot so drastically? Luckily, those in ASP have faced and overcome many tremendous challenges in the last six decades. Therefore, it is with absolutely no surprise and a great deal of pride that I share with you just how resilient and persistent the ASP faculty, staff, and students have been during a time when productivity and efficiency worldwide ground to a halt. In the pages of this newsletter, you will see incredible examples of flexibility, creativity, and dedication as ASP faculty members doubled down in their efforts to successfully deliver (1) high-quality education to our students, (2) knowledge to the disciplines, and (3) state-of-the-art services to our patients. Within days of closure, our SLP clinics began offering tele-health to our patients, culminating in hundreds of hours of services. Our audiology clinic led the way for our university and community by reopening in-person on June 1, with COVID protocols in place. Both disciplines provided over 1,600 hours of clinical simulations to our students. Faculty incorporated innovative remote and hybrid learning experiences in the classroom and research laboratories, completely revamping courses, teaching materials, and experiments to make them accessible. All the while, our students continued to learn and grow. Remarkably, all 175 of this year’s ASP graduates will have the competencies, clinic hours, research experience, and coursework required to earn their degrees on time!
Turner House, 1953
Hearing and Speech Center, 1953
Dr. Ashley Harkrider Professor and Chair
Pediatric Language Clinic, 1972
South Stadium Hall, 1972
How did we do this? By rolling up our sleeves and embracing change rather than fighting it. By opening our minds to new possibilities, while staying true to the foundations built by our predecessors. And, by focusing on the silver linings, not the storm. We are stronger because of the challenges we faced. We are ahead of our time in spite of them. Undaunted, the faculty, staff, and students in ASP always have their eyes up, committed to moving (figuratively and literally) into a different and brighter future. From our new home to yours, we hope our annual newsletter finds you safe and well, undaunted, with a brilliant future on your horizon, too. Please stay in touch! We would love to hear all about it.
Pediatric Language Clinic, 2020
UT Conference Center, 2021
- Ashley W. Harkrider, Professor and Chair, VFL Contact Us
Phone: (865) 974-5019 Email: asp@uthsc.edu Website: www.uthsc.edu/asp Social Media: @uthscaudspeech
Inside this edition p. 2—5 p. 6—7 p. 8 – 9 p. 10—11 P. 12 –15
ASP on the Move Shifting Approach, Tributes Scholarly Work Leaving Rocky Top 2020 Review, Picture Pages