Bowling Green, Ky. - A unique program offered by Western Kentucky University has received regional recognition for excellence. The online WKU Master of Science in Communication Disorders for the United Federation of Teachers in New York City has been honored by the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) as its 2006 ACHE Region VII Distinguished Program Award for a credit program.

According to Dan Connell, Chair of the ACHE Region VII Awards Committee, “The committee was very impressed with the quality and scope of the Master of Science in Communication Disorders for the United Federation of Teachers in New York City and we are pleased to recognize its excellence.”

The award will be presented Monday, April 24, during the ACHE Region VII Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.
The first graduates of the online master’s program were honored last May in a special convocation in New York City. About 30 teachers completed the program and were honored at the United Federation of Teachers building in lower Manhattan.

Several WKU representatives attended the ceremony, including five faculty members in the communication disorders program, Provost Barbara Burch and the deans of the College of Health and Human Services and the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach.

The online program is meeting the needs of speech therapists seeking a master’s degree while maintaining their current full-time school jobs and their family responsibilities. “They have had a shortage of speech pathologists for many years,” said Dr. Barbara Brindle, assistant professor and the coordinator of the distance education program.

The program’s first graduates began their courses in the fall of 2003. Another group is progressing through the program and 89 New York teachers applied for the 30 slots available in the fall of 2005.

“The United Federation of Teachers speech chapter in New York City was looking at ways to further the education of bachelor’s level employees providing speech therapy in schools,” Dr. Joe Etienne, communication disorders department head said. “The UFT approached WKU after learning that the University was offering an online master's program in communication disorders.”

WKU, through its Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO), has tailored the courses offered in New York to fit the needs of the UFT. The students take two academic courses each term and must complete three externships as part of the 51-hour master’s program.

The UFT provides supervisors for the clinical portions of the program so the students don’t have to travel from New York City to WKU’s campus in Bowling Green. WKU faculty members travel to New York for orientation to meet the students and each faculty member teaches one on-site class the term his or her class is scheduled to be taught.

According to Dr. Don Swoboda, dean of the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach, this program helps to meet one of WKU’s strategic goals. “The leadership of the university has charged DELO to be an important part of the overall effort to reach out to students not traditionally served on the main campus,” he said. “This program is a perfect example of that. We were able to meet the needs of the students in New York which enhances Western’s image as a national provider of higher education services.”

The members of the ACHE Region VII are located within Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Founded in 1939, belief in the values of professional development, collegiality and service continue to guide the mission of the Association for Continuing Higher Education. For information on the ACHE, visit www.ache7.org. For information about the communication disorders program, contact Dr. Joseph Etienne at (270) 745-8998 or Dr. Barbara Brindle at (270) 745-4299; for more on distance learning opportunities, contact Dr. Don Swoboda at (270) 745-1900 or Beth Laves at (270) 745-5308.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Bill Oldham at (270) 745-1926.

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