My service to the institution includes service at the department, college, and university levels.

Service to the Department

Within the department I have been gratified to work in partnership with my colleagues to serve in a variety of ways.  First in my eyes is my work with the development of the Bilingual Emphasis Program, more fully described in the Teaching section (under Student Mentoring and Advising).  This work is highly satisfactory to me because  I see it meeting the needs of bilingual (or multilingual) students who wish to prepare themselves for practice in all of their languages.   I also see it serving the department and the college by providing unique opportunities for and hopefully helping to attract those specific students to our campus and program. (In this video, a student talks about the value she places on her participation in the Bilingual Emphasis Program).   My colleagues have supported this effort by working to integrate relevant assignments and projects for program participants into their courses.  Their efforts enable us to tailor coursework to a degree to this specific area of interest.  The development of the program, the research involved in refining each aspect of it, the time spent mentoring students both during the school year and, via email, during the summer, and the work required for the collaborative elements of the program:  all these require extra time beyond my work in teaching and scholarship, and that time is happily given.

I have also served the department by participating on the graduate admissions committee for the past five years.  Because we are a small faculty, all of us are actively engaged in reviewing applications, making admissions recommendations, and as of last year, collectively interviewing 80+ candidates for admission via Skype (these were the qualified candidates out of approximately 130 applicants).  In our last round of admissions activity, the committee decided that we would more actively recruit our own top undergraduate students who had applied and been accepted to our program but not yet accepted a place in it.  With a colleague, Diana Taylor, I hosted a Saturday afternoon tea in my home to celebrate the successes of our advisees, all of whom were in the group of top applicants to our graduate program.  Five of the six of these young women (all with other offers) eventually chose to stay with us; although I’m sure that there were many reasons for this I hope that the personal interest shown in them influenced their decisions.  All of this activity happens in the midst of the busy semester and yet I find it extremely worthwhile.  I see the value in doing all that I can to help identify and encourage those applicants for whom we are the right program fit.

Within the department there is a wonderful spirit of mutual support.  I have seen this modeled by my colleagues again and again;  “I’ve got your back” is part of our departmental identity.  Because of this, when opportunities come to assist one another it is natural to do so.  One of those opportunities came my way last fall when a faculty member took a Faculty Renewal Leave, and various jobs and responsibilities needed to be shared.  My particular role was to become the departmental graduate research adviser for a semester, as the students took their usual Research Methods course in another department. (It was important to help the students connect the course content more specifically with the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders). This new responsibility entailed communicating with the interim chair and the new course instructor as well as meeting with individuals and groups of students to assist them in identifying field-relevant research projects.  As part of this effort I also personally mentored (and am still mentoring) the research projects of two of the student groups. (Click the image of the email below for related information).

There are have been additional opportunities to serve within the department. For example,  I have enjoyed coming together with my colleagues to offer hospitality to students, and have participated in organizing events, preparing food, welcoming, and serving students and visitors at homecoming receptions, student dinners, student orientations, and parties (to name a few events).  Again, I emphasize that the collaborative spirit within the department makes these joyful, fun occasions for service.

Service to the College

In 2012-13 I was pleased to be able to serve on the search committee for the position of Dean of the College of Education and Human Services.  This entailed meeting  bimonthly with a group of colleagues from various departments for the purpose of identifying and screening candidates, and finally participating in the interview process with the successful candidate, Dr. Donnie Snider. I appreciated the opportunity to be involved in a process that was so significant to all of us.

Service to the university

Within the university, I have served on the Honors Council (2010-2013), where I had the opportunity to interact with faculty from across the university to address the special needs of honors students. I also served on the Research Council (2010-2013), an appointment that I particularly enjoyed as it made me aware of the variety of scholarly efforts happening on campus.  Part of that service involved reviewing applications for Cullen Grants.  This was an inspiring experience; through this committee I realized more fully what talented, respected researchers we have among our faculty.   In 2011 I was appointed to the Undergraduate General Education Council.  This has been a very busy time for that particular group as we have been challenged to review many courses submitted for approval to meet new general education requirements.  At times opinions about these courses are strongly stated during the meetings, and I have had to learn how best to make myself heard in that context!  However, through these meetings I have become much better acquainted with the workings of the university and departments outside of my college.  This has deepened my sense of connection to the larger mission of the university.

An area of service that has been fascinating and challenging has been the Institutional Review Board of the university.  I was active on that board as a member of the Research Council, with my primary responsibility being to provide expedited review of research proposals; at one point I was one of four reviewers.  With the hiring of a new Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the board is being reformed, and I was pleased to accept a new five-year appointment in the spring of 2013.  I was able to participate in the search for the new director, and anticipate working with him to increase the quality and number of research applications.  To that end, we have determined that it is important to provide training for faculty and students regarding the IRB process, and are planning that training to occur during the fall 2013 semester.

A final area of service that I would like to highlight is my co-sponsorship, along with Dr. Mikee Delony (English), of the ACU Texas Psi chapter of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society.  On the recommendation of Dr. Delony, I was appointed to this role in 2010.  This has been a wonderful opportunity to get to know talented students from many majors, and to involve talented CSD majors in building our chapter.   My responsibilities as a sponsor have included accompanying students to national conventions in San Diego and Nashville where they presented papers and original research. We are delighted with the success of our student leaders as the chapter has grown in number and activity.

I consider the primary role of sponsors to be that of providing a structure or framework that nurtures student leadership and talent.  To achieve this, Dr. Delony and I help the student officer team set each year’s agenda, and moderate each meeting, but allow the students the primary voice in planning and decision-making.  We also seek out and encourage talented students to apply for the recognition and scholarships available through the organization. In 2012 two of our students won regional presentation scholarships, and in 2013 we had a national scholarship winner at the graduate level (and a scholarship runner-up at the undergraduate level), selected via submission of a scholarly work to a highly competitive process.  Because of our growth and accomplishments, last year our chapter was named a “Star Chapter.”

There have been many other temporary opportunities for service to the university which have enabled me to work with colleagues from across the campus for different purposes.  Examples include: judging at the Undergraduate Research Festival (twice), interviewing candidates for Presidential Scholarships (twice), and participating as part of a mentoring “lunch bunch” for a new faculty member in the library.  These opportunities add delightful variety to the school year!

Letters of appointment_service to the university

Commendations and Affirmations of Service:

Letter from Dr Nancy Shankle Jordan_service

Letter from Dr Susan Lewis_Service_collegiality_IRB

Letter from Alpha Chi national office_service to the university

 

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