Strategic Plan of the University of Memphis

As the University of Memphis prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary, its strategic plan will set the course for the future.  The University's Strategic Plan can be viewed here.

Strategic Plan of the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Strategic Goals and Objectives
School of Communication Sciences and Disorders
(formerly School of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology)
Adopted, 2010

GOAL 1:  Provide distinctive learning experiences for students that ensure current knowledge and skills in the academic field of communication sciences and disorders and in the professions to meet national certification and state licensure requirements by the time of graduation and that foster lifelong success in the field.

Objectives:

1. To provide distinctive learning for each student, clinical experiences, academic coursework, and research projects to create individualized opportunities, while providing a broad professional knowledge base.
2. To provide students with the tools to maintain currency of knowledge throughout their professional careers.

Strategies and Tactics:

• Recruit, admit, support, and retain graduate students with the highest academic qualities.
• Facilitate the pursuit of knowledge through establishment of entities such as colloquia and journal clubs.
• Periodically review the principles and challenges of ethical practice in the professions.
• Establish ongoing partnerships among members of the academic and clinical faculty to meld the clinical and academic education.
• Provide opportunities for student participation in faculty research and scholarly pursuits.
• Provide opportunities for post graduate educational opportunities.
• Provide intensive mentorship possibilities in research for students whose career goals are in the academic domain.

GOAL 2:  Ensure that the School maintains a sufficient number of faculty who bring broad and diverse perspectives to enhance the programs, and to contribute to the continued health of the academic discipline of communication sciences and disorders.

Objectives:

1. To maintain a faculty with teaching expertise across the scope of practice of the professions.
2. To foster and maintain a faculty with diverse research interests, who are nationally and internationally prominent in the field.
3. To enhance currency of knowledge and skills, the faculty are encouraged and supported (a) to engage in continuing education, scholarly activities, and research, and (b) to take leadership roles in local, state, national, and international organizations.
4. To obtain and maintain extramural funding to support research and training of students working toward the MA, AuD, or PhD.

Strategies and Tactics:

• Proactively anticipate faculty retirements, and develop a plan to replace retiring faculty.
• Provide financial support and professional leave to participate in research activities, continuing education, and professional service.
• Monitor new areas of clinical or research focus to ensure that faculty interests reflect current areas of emphasis within the professions and academic disciplines.
• Provide incentives to secure external funding for research and academic training.
• Identify and encourage faculty to seek workshops and instruction with regard to grant writing.
• Encourage senior faculty who have been successful in obtaining funding for research to serve as mentors to junior faculty.

GOAL 3:  Promote and sustain a culture of acceptance, diversity and community among the students, faculty, staff and clients.

Objectives:

1. To increase enrollment and maintain our high student retention rate.
2. To increase diversity among the students, faculty, staff, and clients.

Strategies and Tactics:

• Actively recruit high-quality students nationally and internationally. 
• Provide an academic environment that attracts students from diverse academic backgrounds and underrepresented populations. 
• Respect regional and cultural diversity of the students, faculty, staff and clients.

GOAL 4:  Ensure that the School meets the speech, language and hearing needs of the community, and that its faculties collaborate within the University and the scientific community.

Objectives:

1. To advocate and provide services for individuals in the community with speech, language and/or hearing needs.
2. To promote a collaborative environment with local professionals.
3. To provide local professionals with opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills.
4. To maintain an active presence in the national and international academic community of communication sciences and disorders. 

Strategies and Tactics:

• Maintain faculty who are adequate in number and sufficiently broad in perspective to meet the diverse needs of the community.
• Maintain and develop innovative clinical programs through the School’s Memphis Speech and Hearing Center to meet the varied needs of the community, including the provision of bilingual clinical services in Spanish.
• Provide continuing education opportunities for the community.
• Provide a source of expertise to the University and the community.

GOAL 5:  Ensure all entities, faculty, staff and students, have a role in the guidance of the School. 

Objectives:

1. To ensure a culture of shared commitment to the planning and future development of the School.
2. To allocate the School’s fiscal resources to reflect the goals and priorities established by the School’s administration with input from the appropriate School committees.

Strategies and Tactics:

• Promote the growth and development of individuals within the School to create a culture of collegiality and commitment to the long term stability of the School.
• Adhere to, periodically review, and update the School’s bylaws.

GOAL 6:  Ensure that facilities are inviting and adequate to meet current and future programmatic needs.

Objectives:

1. To provide adequate facilities for current activities as well as future growth of the program.
2. To consolidate major activities of the program within a single location.

Strategies and Tactics:

• Improve the esthetics of the current facilities.
• Continue development of plans for new facilities on Park Avenue Campus.
• Continue to foster a student and faculty sense of community.