Focus Areas, Goals and Action Steps

Focus Area 1. Student Success

Goals with Action Steps:

1. Continue to strengthen and organize the CSD admissions process
   • Maintain use of CSDCAS
   • Ensure all full-time faculty are involved with the application process
   • Host regularly scheduled admissions’ events with specific CSD timelines
2. Strengthen the academic and clinical advisement structures
   • Review digital record keeping programs and consult with College IT department
   • Convert current paper-based advising system to a digital system; ensure training for all participants.
   • Once digital system is established, review digital system regularly to highlight potential for improvement
3. Increase communication, networking, and marketing
   • Continue social media usage to connect with alumni
   • Connect current students with alumni more regularly
   • Host an annual job fair in conjunction with career services
   • Meet regularly with MarCom to support marketing of the CSD program

Focus Area 2. Academic Excellence & Distinctiveness

Goals with Action Steps:

1. Inter-professional on- and off-campus collaboration
   • Explore international opportunities for CSD graduate students and collaborate with Iona’s Study Abroad office
   • Improve collaboration with allied health fields at Iona (i.e. Occupational therapy)
   • Increase community-based projects that enhance clinical and academic experiences
2. Research
   • Increase CSD graduate student involvement in CSD faculty research
   • Support and encourage joint undergraduate and graduate student research projects
   • Increase clinical faculty inclusion in research
   • Invite clinical faculty to visit academic courses
   • Invite faculty members to collaborate on clinic cases that incorporate faculty’s research background

Focus Area 3. Talent

Goals with Action Steps:

1. Offer opportunities for students that foster a supportive culture of respect where academic and professional achievements are recognized and celebrated
   • Refine the admission criteria for the Early Acceptance Program
   • Explore offering a prerequisite year of study for applicants that directly leads to CSD graduate study
   • Market clinical communication certificate
   • Explore offering an additional certificate for deaf and hard of hearing studies
   • Increase CEU opportunities
2. Create an environment for both students and faculty that is collaborative
   • Increase NSSLHA involvement for CSD graduate students
   • Reinforce E-board position for a CSD graduate student
   • Identify at least 1 project/event that CSD graduate students lead for NSSLHA
3. Recruit and retain talented CSD faculty
   • Increase collaboration between clinical faculty and academic faculty
   • Increase grants applied for by CSD faculty
   • Create a mentor system for new CSD faculty
   • Share scholarly activities among faculty regularly