Audiology and Speech Pathology Update
To: Knoxville-area Faculty, Staff and Students
From: Interim Chancellor Jan Simek
Subject: Audiology and Speech Pathology update
I am pleased to share with you an update on our plans for the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, which had been targeted for phase-out as part of UT Knoxville's $11 million budget cut for 2008-2009.
Today, a plan is being presented to the Board of Trustees Executive and Compensation Committee that would have the audiology and speech pathology program continue operations and remain in Knoxville -- but shift its administration to College of Allied Health Sciences at UT Health Science Center, which has its main campus in Memphis.
The plan calls for the clinics to remain open and the graduate program to continue. Undergraduate courses will be offered for students who need them as prerequisites to graduate work or as components of other majors, although students will no longer be able to earn bachelor's degrees in audiology or speech pathology. Currently enrolled undergraduates will be able to finish and graduate.
This plan -- which must be approved by the Board of Trustees when it meets Oct. 23-24 in Knoxville -- was developed by a group representing my office, President Petersen, the College of Arts and Sciences, the audiology and speech pathology department, the UT Health Science Center and others. The plan was developed after studying alternatives that would allow the program to continue to meet the educational and clinical needs of Tennesseans.
We believe the plan represents a win-win solution for everyone.
For Knoxville, cost savings will be realized because the department will no longer be part of the College of Arts and Sciences.
By putting the audiology and speech pathology program and its services under Allied Health, the department and clinics will be under an umbrella that's far more appropriate.
Also, the plan offers an increased potential for graduate work and increased opportunities to provide much-needed services to communities around the state.
The president's office is seeking funding sources to help Memphis with front-end costs. In the long term, Memphis officials say they plan to work on making the clinics more self-sustaining.
Posted September 18, 2008