HS&HP

	The History of SLPA at Ithaca The following article by associate professor Richard J. Schissel is the last in a series tracing the 75-year history of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
	The Present Since 1985 the department has been solidifying its staffing, modifying the curriculum in both speech-language pathology and audiology to meet the changing needs of the profession, and developing unique clinical placement sites to accommodate increasing numbers of both undergraduate and graduate students. In 1985 Richard J. Schissel was appointed department chair; Eldred "Skip" Testut joined John Stephens in the audiology program; and Marie Sanford joined MaryAnn Simpson, then clinic coordinator, as the second clinical supervisor. Over the next several years people came and went as their needs and those of the department changed. In 1993 the department stabilized at seven academic (doctoral level) and five clinical (master's level) faculty. In addition, a number of part-time and adjunct faculty supervise student teachers and teach courses in specific areas. With faculty positions stabilizing, several revisions were made to the curricula. At the undergraduate level, a required course in child language disorders was added, as were elective courses in language and learning disabilities, multicultural issues, hearing loss in the elderly, and communication disorders in the aging population. The graduate curricula were expanded from 30 to 39 credits and the programs lengthened from 12 to 18 months. In SLP new course work was added in dysphagia and in augmentative and alternative communication, and additional course work was added in child language disorders. A second seven-week externship also was required. In audiology new courses were implemented in industrial audio-logy, electrophysiological aspects of audiology, and medical aspects of audiology, and additional externship placements were added. Enrollment grew steadily throughout this period, from 109 undergraduates in 1985 to 142 in 1996-97. The graduate programs grew from 14 students in 1985 to a record of 48 this past year. To accommodate the increased need for clinical hours, new clinical sites were established at day care centers, Head Start programs, nursing homes, life care communities, and a refugee assistance program. In addition to their experiences in the Sir Alexander Ewing-Ithaca College clinic, students are working with preschoolers on language enhancement; doing accent reduction with non-English speakers; and working with the elderly, Alzheimer's patients, and individuals with traumatic brain injury. Many of the clinical programs developed at these sites have been presented by our faculty and students at ASHA and New York State conventions. Our graduate students in both speech-language pathology and audiology are experiencing a broad range of clinical opportunities with pediatric through adult neurogenic populations while externing at hospitals and rehabilitation centers on the East Coast, in the Midwest, and at selected sites on the West Coast. The department continues to make adjustments to the curriculum and clinical experiences offered to our students to ensure that their education is consistent with and appropriate to changing service delivery models, scope of practice issues, and changes in health care reimbursement policies. We will continue to integrate new models, methods, and theories into our classroom and clinical teaching so that future alumni will be as proud of their program as those of the past 75 years.