Aubree Browning's Archive

Mrs. Jones M.S., CCC-SLP

Dr. Peek, Ph.D., CCC/SLP

What brought you to ACU-Dallas?
I have lived in the DFW area for over 15 years and was always impressed with the things I heard regarding ACU’s CSD program. When I found out that they were starting a program in Dallas I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it.

What area of speech and language is your specialty/favorite?
Working with the families of young children who are at risk for or have communication/speech/language difficulties is what I love to do as a professional.

What environments have you worked in?
I have worked in the following settings: early intervention; preschool; school; hospital (outpatient and inpatient); private practice; research and academia

How would you describe your teaching method?
I present and review concepts in a variety of ways (reading; lecture; discussion; group projects; case studies) so that hopefully I hit each students preferred learning method. I also spend a significant amount of time applying new knowledge to situations that will occur in the real world.

How does faith impact your profession or the profession of speech-language pathology in general?
I strongly believe in the blessing of vocation. I encourage students to explore and consider the ways in which God has created them uniquely to serve others through the field of speech-language pathology.

What is your favorite restaurant in Addison?
My favorite restaurant anywhere is anything Mexican.

What do you do to relax?
Read

What advice can you give to graduate students?
Be excited about the interesting and amazing things you will learn during the next two years!

What are you currently binge watching?
I am embarrassed to admit this, but Gossip Girl with my 18 year old daughter.

If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
England

Do you have any pets?
I have two fluffy, white dogs – JJ and Mally. They love me the most of anyone in my house!

What are your hobbies?
Reading; Interior Design; Travel

Who is your favorite singer?
Vince Gill

Dr. Crumrine, Ph.D., CCC/SLP

What brought you to ACU-Dallas?
We moved to Texas from Oklahoma after my husband’s job was relocated. Leaving my academic position in Oklahoma was very difficult for me. I prayed and prayed that God would provide me the opportunity to work at a university again. I will never forget the day I found the job announcement for ACU. The position seemed like a dream job.  A place where I could focus on student development, integrate faith, and continue to develop my research. I feel so blessed to work at ACU-Dallas!!!

What area of speech and language is your specialty/favorite?
I love child language disorders! My specialty area is Autism Spectrum Disorders.

What environments have you worked in?
I have worked in academia, outpatient pediatric clinic, and public school setting. 

How would you describe your teaching method?
I enjoy helping students understand the relationship between clinical practice, lab-based research findings, and textbook fundamentals.  To do this I incorporate a range of teaching techniques and tools into my courses. I integrate problem-based learning activities, case studies, presentations, discussion panels, and community-based projects into my courses. 

How does faith impact your profession or the profession of speech-language pathology in general?
I believe that I was called to be a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).  I was given the special gift to work with children who demonstrate complex communication needs. The field of Speech-Language Pathology is not just a job for me, but rather an opportunity to serve others.  As an assistant professor I am able to integrate my faith and learning in the classroom. I am thankful for the opportunity to mentor students on a more personal level and model ways to incorporate faith into clinical decision making and treatment of communication disorders.  My hope is that students will not only increase their knowledge about speech-language pathology but also deepen their relationship with God.

What is your favorite restaurant in Addison?
Anything Tex-Mex!

What do you do to relax?
Go for walks. Read books. Spend time with family.

What advice can you give to graduate students?
Graduate courses are not the same as undergraduate courses. This is an exciting journey but be prepared to put in the dedication and hard work. Try to keep up with reading. The assigned readings are at the core of class discussions, so the best way to be prepared is to have read the chapters/articles. Connect with your classmates. Your peers are going through the same experiences, and it is helpful to have a support network. Overall, be excited about your career choice and soak up every learning opportunity!!! 

What are you currently binge watching?
Friends!

If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
Hawaii!!

Do you have any pets?
Yes! Two dogs. A Boston Terrier named Sherman and mixed breed named Martin.

What are your hobbies? 
I enjoy reading books and cooking with my husband.

Who is your favorite singer?
Adele

Dr. Bender, Ph.D., CCC/SLP

What brought you to ACU-Dallas?
I have been on faculty in the CSD department since 2001.  When ACU wanted to expand the graduate program in SLP, I volunteered to move to Dallas to be part of the expansion.  I love growing and developing new ideas so this has been a fun time for me. My brother and his family live in the area so it is good to be near them again.

What area of speech and language is your specialty/favorite?
I LOVE Voice Disorders.  I find the structure and function of the larynx amazing – something so powerful as our voice is produced with a very small structure.  All of the elements of our communication systems were designed specifically for communication. So, after Voice Disorders, I love Speech Science, Motor Speech Disorders and Dysphagia – anything that involves the nervous system and communication!

What environments have you worked in? Academia, outpatient, inpatient, hospital, school etc.
I have worked in almost all clinical settings.  I worked in the public schools after my Bachelor’s degree.  After I completed my Master’s degree, I worked in in-patient rehabilitation and acute care hospitals for 3 years.  When I completed my Doctoral degree, I worked part-time in the summers doing in-patient rehab, acute hospital and out-patient care.  I also covered some Home Health when the regular therapist was on vacation. During the academic year, I was part of a multi-disciplinary voice clinic for several years. 

How would you describe your teaching method?
I still use a lot of lecture in classes but I also incorporate case studies for application of new knowledge in small group discussions.  I use simulations and other training methods for student to develop their assessment skills in voice, motor speech disorders and dysphagia.  

How does faith impact your profession or the profession of speech-language pathology in general?
First my faith impacts my profession because I am called to be a teacher.  I have a great sense of responsibility to provide students with the foundational knowledge for their practice as speech-language pathologists.  Part of that foundation is recognizing that we were designed for communication – the connection with one another and the connection with God. All of our communication systems were designed for efficiency in communicating our thoughts and ideas.  Lastly, I want students to approach their practice as speech-language pathologists from the perspective of a ministry or a calling. This ministry of speech-language pathology establishes communication pathways for others; allowing them to engage in relationships more fully.  By seeing their profession as ministry, students see the bigger purpose of their work in this world.

What is your favorite restaurant in Addison?
I don’t really have a favorite restaurant – I love Mexican food!

What do you do to relax?
I love to read fiction.  I usually have a book in progress so I use it as my escape at the end of a long day. 

What advice can you give to graduate students?
Talk to the people who can help you the most – this includes faculty.  We are here because you have chosen ACU. Our job is to serve you. And we are here for you beyond what is happening in the classroom.

What are you currently binge watching?
Most any medical or emergency show on regular tv.  

If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
The mountains – it’s one of my favorite places to go and regain perspective.

Do you have any pets?
I have a Chihuahua named Coco.  See my pic….

What are your hobbies?
Reading and quilting!  I love to take a quilt pattern and create it in my own color palette.  Sometimes I make a change to the pattern that makes it more interesting. 

Who is your favorite singer?
I have eclectic musical tastes so it depends on the genre – currently, I’m listening to Christian music and my favorite groups are King and Country and Bethel Music.  

Mrs. Shutt M.S., CCC-SLP

What brought you to ACU-Dallas?
Well, the short answer is the Lord and Dr. Bender. The longer answer is that I have been a part of ACU since childhood. I went to the summer camps for at least 10 years, then completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees at ACU (class of 2006 and 2008). After moving to Dallas  from living overseas, I learned that ACU was coming to Dallas. I was working in home health at the time and connected with Dr. Bender, who shared the opportunity to join faculty as a Clinical Coordinator. It’s been a true joy to continue by journey with ACU and be at the Dallas location.

What area of speech and language is your specialty/favorite?
Acquired neurogenic disorders. I have a special place in my heart for the geriatric population. 

What environments have you worked in? Academia, outpatient, inpatient, hospital, school etc.
Before academia I worked in Skilled Nursing Facilities and home health. 

My husband and I were also missionaries in Chile, South America for 5 years, where we planted a church. Both my boys were born there, too! 

How would you describe your teaching method?
I love a good class discussion! I’d say that most of what I do is facilitate educational, practical, and meaningful conversations with the class. I help students process what is happening at clinical placements and help bridge the gap between what students learn academically with what they’re experiencing in the field. 

I also help develop clinical skills by providing direct teaching and “hands on” practice. 

How does faith impact your profession or the profession of speech-language pathology in general?
Faith is at the heart of all I do. I believe that our faith impacts the way we care for, love, interact, and ultimately serve other people. Our faith helps us see others as created in the image of God, which helps us have more compassion and drive to provide excellent, quality services. It’s a joy to bring faith into the classroom and help students connect more and depend more on the Lord while in graduate school. 

What is your favorite restaurant in Addison?
Meso Maya. It’s delicious! 

What do you do to relax?
Go on walks with my kids, take a bath, and listen to audiobooks! 

What advice can you give to graduate students?
The best advice I can give is to be flexible. Have an open mind and heart about everything. Each semester looks very different – both clinically and academically. Having the ability to transition through each semester with ease and grace makes it easier on everyone. The students who demonstrate more flexibility are overall happier and know how to take advantage of every opportunity to grow. Students who are not flexible can experience increased frustration and anxiety, which hinders growth. A close second would be: stay in your lane. What I mean by this is focus on your growth and compare yourself only with yourself. Everyone has different ways of learning and different clinical experiences (even if you have the same placement/setting). Your progress should be individually measured. The students who don’t get wrapped up in the comparison game are overall happier and more confident…and who doesn’t want that?

What are you currently binge watching?
Nothing currently! I have  pretty strict discipline with Netflix during the school year and only allow “binges” during breaks. But, my most recent binge was Lost in Space, which was the first show my whole family watched as a series. It was pretty awesome, but now my kids are convinced that we could handle anything the Robinsons can. Eek!

If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
I’m just going to imagine COVID-19 is all behind us and the entire world is healthy and safe. I would say Alaska. I’d love to see some majestic mountains, be in untouched nature, eat wild caught Salmon, and see the wildlife. 

Do you have any pets?
We have a precious Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. Her name is Nia (knee-ah). My boys named her after the Legos show “Ninjago” – Nia was the only female ninja. 

What are your hobbies?
Reading, playing family soccer games, going on walks.

Who is your favorite singer?
Don’t judge – but I love Celine Dion. I have even seen her live which was incredible.