Goal 1:  Continue to explore opportunities to participate in activities and initiatives that are central to the mission of the School of Health Sciences and Education and Truman State University

Strategy 1: Continue to support Mexico study abroad/service-learning opportunity for CMDS students and faculty (CMDS Mex 510/510G) as well as other high-impact experiences (e.g., First Steps, Leadership programming at Study Hall, research opportunities).

Strategy 2: Identify and provide successful supports for under-represented and low-performing students who wish to major in CMDS and potentially pursue graduate study.

Strategy 3: Recruit, retain, and support local students to increase potential transition to graduate study and contribute to the workforce in Northeast Missouri.

Strategy 4: Continue to lead and participate in activities associated with school and university focus on wellness and healthy lifestyle (e.g., hearing conservation, mental health awareness, and advising focus on “work-life balance”).

Strategy 5: Initiate faculty development opportunities that emphasize awareness of communication disorders in the context of society and a liberal arts and sciences education.  Encourage development of the faculty in the advising process to better help students/advisees understand and appreciate their LAS experience.

Goal 2:  Enhance academic, advising, and transformative culture

Strategy 1: Maintain department-level resources to support student success (e.g., CMDS Study Hall [undergraduate and graduate], special extracurricular and clinical opportunities such as lunch-and-learns for time management, and a Leadership Seminar/group).

Strategy 2: Convert electronic versions of advising resources (e.g., documents relating to academic excellence, counseling, student health, stress management, time management, etc.) into tangible packets for advisors.  Continue to explore other needed resources as well as advising models.

Strategy 3: Develop procedures for supporting lower-performing students through advising.

Strategy 4: Explore and develop alternative potential high impact experiences for CMDS majors who may be weaker academically (GPA < 3.00) and/or limited financially (e.g., create new undergraduate research opportunities that are available to a greater number of CMDS students, Leadership group).

Strategy 5: Evaluate our graduate assessment process (Clinical Process Commentary) to ensure that it meets our desired outcomes regarding individualized student goals and academic/clinical focus and is sustainable.

Strategy 6: Complete ongoing evaluation of our CMDS Major Assessment tools (Major Portfolio, Major Survey) to ensure that we have measurable student outcomes matched up with appropriate data collection.

Strategy 7: Provide better support/guidance/opportunities for students who are interested in pursuing a doctoral degree (e.g., put together packets of resources, continue to speak at CoDA meetings).

Goal 3:  Respond to changes in our professional scope of practice

Strategy 1: Continue submitting annual reports to the Council for Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech Pathology (CAA) with a focus on meeting 2018 CAA standards.

Strategy 2: Maintain/increase activities in the area of accent modification and encourage student participation in foreign language courses and extracurricular opportunities (such as providing ESL services to immigrants in our community).

Strategy 3: Increase opportunities for students to provide and observe clinical services with Spanish- and French-speaking clients and persons from diverse populations throughout the Northeast Missouri community as well as opportunities to work with interpreters.

Strategy 4: Provide basic telehealth training to every graduate student.

Strategy 5: Further develop and/or maintain our relationships with PK-12 schools and non-school community sites that help us provide diverse opportunities for clinical practice.

Strategy 6: Maintain the excellent relationships we have with many external clinical sites that accept Truman CMDS interns.

Strategy 7: Explore the development of a course in mentoring/supervising that would involve utilizing graduate students as resources for the undergraduate students in the program.

Strategy 8: Initiate electronic data collection of students’ clinical experiences.

Goal 4: Enhance program visibility and importance

Strategy 1: Encourage faculty and student research, presentation, and publication.

Strategy 2: Encourage faculty and student participation in continuing education events and conferences. Explore strategies to increase graduate student involvement in-state conferences.

Strategy 3: Encourage faculty and student service to the discipline at the school, university, state, national, and international levels.

Strategy 4: Identify key recruitment strategies for graduate students from a variety of undergraduate institutions and geographic locations.

Strategy 5: Create more opportunities for students to interact and network with alumni, especially targeting ways to do this through social media.

Goal 5: Explore opportunities to increase/maximize program resources

Strategy 1: Routinely evaluate the level of program support (resources, faculty, staff) to determine if it is sufficient to meet the mission/objectives of the department and degree programs. Consider and invest in faculty/staff development and efficiency strategies (e.g., mechanizing tallying of clinic consumer evaluations).

Strategy 2: Ensure sufficient number of faculty holding the terminal degree.

Strategy 3: Develop strategies to enhance the experiences students have working for scholarships/assistantships to provide meaningful learning opportunities and increase support to the program.

Strategy 4: Develop and maintain partnerships with external constituencies that support the program and clinic – continue to maintain and solicit CMDS Development Fund donations.

Strategy 5: Explore potential additional revenue streams, including possible offering of online courses.