Kean University once again is expanding its allied health program offerings, with the addition of a new Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology (SLPD) program. The SLPD, which will be Kean’s fifth doctoral program, has been approved by the New Jersey Presidents’ Council and is expected to welcome its first students in fall 2017. It will be one of only seven clinical SLPD programs in the nation and the first such program in the northeastern United States.

Speech-language pathology is a profession in great demand and with strong job prospects. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 21 percent job growth for the profession between 2014 and 2024. The median income for speech-language pathologists in 2015 was more than $73,000.

“Kean University wants to position and prepare its students for the careers of the future,” said Dawood Farahi, Ph.D., president of Kean University. “We now have an affordable, high-quality program to help speech-language pathologists build careers in both healthcare and educational settings.”

Kean’s SLPD will be a rigorous clinical doctoral program that trains advanced healthcare practitioners and future university clinical faculty in communication sciences and disorders. The program will emphasize the social and cultural aspects of communication sciences and disorders in health professions and in educational services to underserved populations.

“The Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology is our newest doctoral degree in allied health, following the start of the Doctor of Physical Therapy in summer 2016,” said Jeffrey Beck, Ph.D., dean of Kean’s Nathan Weiss Graduate College. “Since we have a vibrant master’s program and a very active clinic, we anticipate a similarly dynamic doctoral program. We expect strong interest throughout the region.”

With the SLPD, Kean now offers a terminal degree to complement its long-standing academic programs in the School of Communication Disorders and Deafness.
“We are the oldest program in the state and the only one with a full undergraduate and master’s program, so offering a doctorate program is a natural progression,” said Martin D. Shulman, Ph.D., executive director of the School of Communication Disorders and Deafness. “We are excited to offer a clinical doctorate as it is a unique and groundbreaking new trend for doctoral education.”

For more information, contact Professor Mahchid Namazi, Ph.D., at mnamazi@kean.edu or 908-737-5804.

Kean University Opens New Veteran Services Lounge

Kean University held a moving Veterans Day ceremony and officially opened the University’s new Veteran Services Lounge. The event paid tribute to current and former servicemen and women and ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the veterans lounge in Willis Hall, where former military personnel can gather to study, hang out, hold meetings and receive tutoring and other support services.

“This is part of our vision moving forward for what constitutes veterans’ affairs at Kean University,” said Sophia Howlett, Ph.D., Kean’s associate vice president for learning support, who performed the ribbon cutting. “We want to think about veterans who come to Kean and make sure we’re creating a holistic environment for them.”

Kean’s Veteran Services Lounge is a relaxing environment for the University’s more than 300 student-veterans. With computers, tables, chairs and a television, it is designed to be a place where veterans can share life experiences and support each other. The lounge is also where the University’s Military and Veterans Club (MVC) will hold workshops and conferences. Located in Willis Hall room 121, the hours of operation are Monday 12 – 5 p.m., Tuesday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Thursday 12 – 5 p.m.

“The objective of the veterans lounge is to help people transition from the military to civilian life; however it’s also there to help us succeed academically,” said U.S. Army Specialist Kimmarah Casey, MVC president. “You don’t know the person who’s sitting in the corner? You could just start up a conversation because as a military member to another military member, you always share that camaraderie. It’s a connection we all have.”

The lounge opened after Kean’s traditional Veterans Day ceremony, hosted by the MVC and led by former U.S. Marine and current Kean student Elio Bustamante. Airman Darin Smith, also a Kean student, performed Amazing Grace, The Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Col. Domenick Garzone, a Nathan Weiss Graduate College doctoral student in the field of educational leadership who retired after 33 years of service in the U.S. Army. Garzone gave an emotional speech about the military and Veterans Day.

“A veteran is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for any amount, up to and including their life,” said Garzone. “The price of freedom, my friends, is not free. If you are living in a free society, thank a veteran. They are the ones who signed that blank check.”