UT Audiology and Speech Pathology Closing

Last week on June 5th the proposed budget cuts for the University of Tennessee-Knoxville were announced. Included in this proposal was the closing of the Audiology and Speech Pathology program. This is an area near and dear to my heart as a graduate of the program and a professional. The closure would impact our area as well as our profession, where there is already a shortage of therapists across the country.

There are so many things that make me mad about this but I think what frustrates me the most is the fact that (as far as I know) no money will be taken from the athletic department (and I realize this is a separate thing, technically) and a valuable academic program is on the verge of disappearing. I love sports and am growing to love UT sports, but I have to say that academics should always outrank athletics when it comes to budgeting.

I am glad to say that there are a lot of people fighting this in our community and in the field of ASP. It has received news coverage here in the area and I know people are sending the story to national news outlets. I also know that national organizations including ASHA are supporting the efforts to save the program.

The following is the letter I sent to the Board of Trustees:

To the Board of Trustees:

I am writing in regards to the recent proposal for the closing of the University of Tennessee Audiology and Speech Pathology due to budget cuts.

I graduated from the program with a Master of Arts in Speech Pathology in May 2006. I chose UT because of the national recognition as a top school in Speech Pathology, the opportunities for a variety of practicum options, and the location. I was given the knowledge and tools needed to succeed in a field that serves all ages and various settings. I learned from professors and clinical supervisors on campus and off campus, in real world situations. One of my practicum placements with Select Specialty Hospital led to my employment with the company beginning only days after graduation.

There is a need for Speech Language Pathologists in our area and even more so in areas that do not have a graduate school offering new therapists every year. I believe the need will greatly increase in our area and surrounding areas without the new group of therapists each year. It will be our patients and their families as well as our community that will suffer from this shortage of available therapists.

I love my job as a Speech Pathologist. I love the variety of ages that I am able to serve and the variety of diagnoses from articulation disorders and autism to swallowing disorders, stroke, and traumatic brain injury that I am trained to evaluate and treat. I am proud that I graduated from the University of Tennessee and would hate to see the opportunity to serve in this profession be taken away from students in the Knoxville area.

Please help save the UT Audiology and Speech Pathology program.

Thank you for your time and consideration on this issue.

The vote is next week, June 19.