We support, promote, and advance higher education in

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Excellence * Visionary Leadership * Collaboration

Treasurer's Message

Did you know the treasurer reports CAPCSD’s income, expenses, and investments to the Board monthly (available to all members on the website) and the membership bi-annually during member's business meetings? There are three primary purposes of these reports. One is to ensure the transparency of the current financial state of the organization for all members, staff, and volunteers. Secondly, the reports assist the Board, staff, and volunteers in the organization's short- and long-term strategic planning and decision-making. Finally, they encourage careful stewardship of finances to protect the current and future health of CAPCSD. 

Fortunately, for most of the last 15 years, CAPCSD has generated enough revenue to provide critical resources and financial assistance to our member programs, educators, students, and current and future leaders in the disciplines. With a small net gain most years, we saved and invested some of our earnings, creating reserve or “rainy day” funds critical to any strong and lasting organization. In years like the past few, when the economic outcome and political landscape have been unpredictable, we, like our member programs, have faced concerns about the sustainability of our revenue stream, uncertainty about the market, the impact of a looming enrollment cliff, and the ever-growing disparity between the cost of educating and the funds appropriated by legislators and universities to do so.   

However, careful planning from current and past CAPCSD Board members enables us to be proactive in facing economic insecurity. Every priority initiated and supported by the CAPCSD Board is examined to determine if it meets the mission of the organization and is fiscally responsible. Our goal, and our duty to our members, is to maintain CAPCSD’s fitness - to secure its present and future ability to support our members and their programs as they confront these latest challenges and those yet to come. I am pleased to report that we are well-positioned to do just that. In the meantime, we continue brainstorming ways to protect and grow our revenue stream and shrink our expenses without reducing our impact.  

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Honors and Awards Committee

The Honors and Awards Committee annually reviews submissions for from the membership for  Honors of the Council, Distinguished Contribution Award and Excellence in Diversity Award. The 2023/2024 Committee is comprised of Nancy Aarts, (West Virginia University), Lynne Hewitt, Chair (Ithaca College), and Diana Williams (Pennsylvania State University), with Jennifer Taylor, Past President (University of Memphis) as the monitoring officer.

The nomination process for the 2023/2024 honors and awards will open on October 18, 2023.

To see the requirements for the honors and awards categories or view the past recipients, click here.

Lynne Hewitt, Chair

Ithaca College

Nancy Aarts

West Virginia University

Diane Williams

Pennsylvania State University

Jennifer Taylor,

Past President

University of Memphis

2024 Annual Conference

Call for Papers and Posters

Beginning this month, the CAPCSD Conference Planning Committee will accept theme and topic-related submissions for 60 and 90-minute academic and clinical papers and 30-minute posters.

Conference Theme:  Jazz it Up: Ascending to New Heights

Conference Topics:

• Pedagogy: Effective pedagogical techniques to improve critical thinking, counseling skills, and overall communication
• DEI: Advanced application of DEI principles (concrete examples of implementation and application to accreditation)
• SOTL: Clinical examples of evidence-based practice: Applications of SOTL
• Collaborative Research: Results from collaborative research efforts (including students in research, bridging researcher-clinician gap)
• Creative Clinical Models: Using alternative approaches to help students gain clinical competencies
• Formative and Summative Assessments: Effective means for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data
• Core Content Teaching: Innovative approaches to delivering undergraduate CSD core curriculum

Important Dates:

• Friday, September 8, 2023 - Open for Submissions
• Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - Deadline for Submissions
• Friday, November 10, 2023 - Acceptance notification to all first authors sent
• Wednesday, December 13, 2023 - Deadline for all authors to complete speaker tasks

For content-related questions, contact Conference Planning Committee Chair Leanna Lawrence, at lawrencelb@health.missouri.edu.

For other questions, contact CAPCSD Director of Professional Development Mandie McKenzie, at mandie@capcsd.org. 

Admissions Summit and DEI Academy

Call for Applications

Faculty from CAPCSD member programs are invited to apply to the CAPCSD Admissions Summit and CAPCSD DEI Academy. These two in-person events will be held in the days leading up to the 2024 CAPCSD Annual Conference at the New Orleans Marriott.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024, Admissions Summit (Limited to 25 participants)

Wednesday, April 3, 2024, DEI Academy (Limited to 30 participants)

Selected Applicant Registration Fee: $160

Important Dates:

• Monday, October 2, 2023 - Applications open
• Tuesday, October 31, 2023 - Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. ET
• Wednesday, December 6, 2023 - All applicants are notified regarding selection
• Wednesday, January 31, 2024 - Participants must confirm, register, and pay registration fee, or an alternate participant will be selected.

If you are ready to take the next step in Interprofessional Education and Practice, don't miss this opportunity to elevate your IPE program and make a meaningful impact in your institution!

Apply for the free 2023/2024 CAPCSD IPE/IPP Learning Community, a 7-10 hour academic-year hybrid space where you will work collaboratively with other professionals to advance your program's IPE footprint.

Who: CSD educators, professionals, and administrators who can commit to this academic-year process and attend at least 3 of the 4 synchronous Zoom events listed below. Seats are limited, so sign up now.

What: Over the course of 4 synchronous and 3 asynchronous learning community sessions, you'll dive deep into the intricacies of interdisciplinary collaboration and design a comprehensive implementation plan. The program will guide you in incorporating the domain, professions, core IPEC competencies, assessment methods, and funding streams into your project.

When: 1-hour synchronous Zoom events will be held on September 28, November 30, January 25 and March 7, from 6:30-7:30 pm EST.  Asynchronous events will be held in October, December and February.

Why: IPE Learning Community members will:

• Engage stakeholders in the IPE/IPP journey
• Develop a theory-based learning activity appropriate to your program
• Select appropriate learner assessment and program evaluation methods
• Develop a plan for successful funding
• Enhance your leadership skills for developing and implementing IPE/IPP within your institution

Submit your application by September 15, 2023 for consideration by clicking here. There is no cost to participate in the IPE Learning Community.

Scholarship Information

It’s that time of the year! We are pleased to announce CAPCSD’s annual scholarship programs will begin accepting applications on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.

CAPCSD’s strategic investment and long standing commitment across several decades to building a robust pipeline of professionals in speech pathology and audiology remains strong and unwavering.

CAPCSD’s strategic investment and long standing commitment across several decades to building a robust pipeline of professionals in speech pathology and audiology remains strong and unwavering. Emerging leaders in the field of speech pathology and audiology have received recognition and support to complete their doctoral degrees, to pursue research as graduate students, and for their service to the profession.

The overall impact of CAPCSD’s scholarships on the professional is unmistakable. One of our biggest professional existential challenges is the recognized shortage of individuals with doctoral degrees who can serve as educators and mentors to train future professionals. CAPCSD’s survey of doctoral scholarship recipients indicates that over 85% of recipients complete their doctoral education and continue on to positions as academic faculty.

Students receiving research scholarships have contributed to the growth of evidence-based practice in our discipline. Students receiving recognition for service have emerged as volunteer leaders across many professional organizations.

In 2022-23, the CAPCD Board voted to expand CAPCSD’s investment in our future professionals by increasing the number of scholarships available to graduate and doctoral students in communication sciences and disorders. Students in CAPCSD member programs are eligible to apply to three different scholarship competitions, each with its unique focus, as described below.

Frances J. Laven Scholarship: Up to ten graduate students (Master's SLP, Au.D., or SLPD) who reflect the values of exemplary service to the profession will be awarded this scholarship created in honor of Frances J. Laven. Frances was the co-owner of CAPCSD’s first management company working tirelessly for CAPCSD and facilitating its growth for several years.

Plural Publishing Research Scholarships: Two graduate research scholarships (one Master's/Au.D. and one Ph.D. level) will be awarded to assist recipients in completing a specific research project. These scholarships are offered and awarded with gratitude for the generosity of Plural Publishing and their support of CAPCSD.

Ph.D. Scholarships: Up to ten Ph.D. scholarships will be awarded to qualified applicants who are pursuing their doctoral education in speech-language pathology and audiology.

CAPCSD’s newly appointed Academic Affairs Committee will lead a comprehensive review of all applicants across these various competitions. As our efforts to promote and support the growth of our future professionals continue, we encourage CAPCSD members to share information about these scholarship opportunities with your students.

Learn more about this year’s competitions and deadlines by visiting: https://www.capcsd.org/scholarships/.

CAPCSD Online Professional Development Fall Schedule

As another academic year commences, the Online Professional Development Committee is happy to highlight the fall webinar schedule as shown on the graphic below. The committee has secured a variety of high-quality presentations that we hope you will attend. Registration information will be available approximately four (4) weeks before each webinar, so be on the lookout for the email announcements.

You will notice in the webinar graphic common themes emerge that unite the webinars across the fall semester. The committee reviewed and reflected on input from our members about topics of interest and intentionally planned a series of separate, yet related webinars focused on the topics of admissions considerations and student supports. A variety of speakers will deliver an exceptional fall series of webinars. Let’s learn more together about admissions and supporting students.

The Online Professional Development Committee is eager to pilot a culminating session in December to engage interested members who attended a fall webinar in a discussion and information exchange focused on admissions considerations and student support – on Zoom! CAPCSD has shifted to Zoom for the webinars to allow for more interaction.

Be sure to save the dates and webinar details on your calendars today!