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Impact

Testimonials about the impact that our graduates are having in the professional world make their way to us every day. Graduates of our Master’s Program work in various settings across the nation. They are rehab directors for national companies, lead therapists in schools, owners of private practices, directors of hospital departments and more.

In just the last 5 years, the department has awarded 17 PhD degrees and 15 of these graduates are currently employed in higher education. This is a significant accomplishment given that approximately half of the students completing PhD degrees nationally do not choose to work in academic settings and the critical shortage of doctoral level faculty to fill academic positions in Communication Sciences and Disorder programs.

We are grateful to the many alumni and community groups who have made generous donations to the department over the years. Preparing students to work in the fields of speech language pathology and audiology is an expensive endeavor, especially when it comes to providing the clinical practicum experience you all know is so important.

Here are some ways that your donations have contributed to the strength of our academic, clinical and research endeavors:

  • Alumni of the department honored Mrs. Francis Billeaud, longtime clinic director, with an endowed scholarship in her name.
  • The Sertoma Club of Lafayette has established 2 endowed scholarships and for many years funded the Literacy Camp, the precursor of the Language and Literacy Project.
  • The Lafayette Breakfast Sertoma Club funds a scholarship each year for a master’s student from the Acadiana region.
  • The Louisiana Scottish Rite Foundation provides scholarships for 2 master’s students each year, pays the fees for 10 children to receive clinic services each year and donates toys and materials for the clinic.  
  • An anonymous donor has given funds to purchase Ipads to use in the clinic and to upgrade the video monitoring system.
  • Alumni, friends and family of Dr. Peter Payne, former head of the department, made contributions to the CODI Enhancement Fund in his memory to support student travel to professional conferences.