Student Affairs Newsletter
College of Health Professions
Volume 2, Issue 5
FALL 2012
Welcome to the inaugural
issue of the College of
Health Professions Student Newsletter.
Through the hard work of
faculty, staff and students, the College of
Health Professions is a
reality.
Bringing the various
Schools together under
the College of Health Professions has created new
possibilities for us in a
variety of areas, from simulation to learning communities;
from in-class to in-clinic. As
we grow, many interprofessional educational opportunities present themselves, and
I encourage each of you to
participate when invited;
work with your peers and
engage in ways that will benefit you not only while you
pursue your degree, but professionally after graduation.
It is hard to believe that this
semester will be over in just a
few short weeks. With time
quickly slipping away and
with all of your obligations
for classes and clinic, keep a
perspective on what needs to
be accomplished. Don’t wait
until the last day of the semester to try to finish everything. Take advantage of
the many resources that exist
within the College that are
available to support
you. Your faculty is available
to you as are many resources
within each school. Each semester you succeed will bring
you one step closer to your
goal. Everything you invest
academically will pay dividends once you begin your
career.
Warmest regards,
Roberta DePompei, Ph.D.
Interim Dean
College of Health Professions
Important Dates to Remember

Dr. Terry Gordon lecture
November 13th

Student Dietetics Meeting
November 13th (12:30pm)

Student Dietetics Meeting
November 14th (2?00;m

Nursing Senior Pictures
November 19th & 20th

Thanksgiving Recess
November 22nd & 23rd

Pin Orders (Seniors & MSN Nursing)
November-January

CHP Open House
November 28th

Fall Exam Week
Dec 10th—14th

Commencement
December 15th

Winter Recess
Dec 17th—Jan 13th

Classes resume
January 14th
Heart Walk
Results!
Thank you to our
interprofessional team! We
collected $823 for the American Heart Association! This
far exceeded our goal of $500!
We only recruited 35 walkers
however, out of our goal to
have 100 faculty and students walking together for
heart health. Let’s look
ahead to next year and plan
on meeting that goal!
Page 2
“We Are The Student Success Center”
Dr. Rita Klein, Director
Hello to EVERYONE in the new College of Health Professions! We have
gotten the new academic year off to a
fabulous start with
lots of “news” to
share (pun intended). This is the
first issue of our Student Affairs
Newsletter that presents news
from ALL the schools, so page
through and see what’s going on.
MGH 313 has a new name: The
Student Success Center as well
as a new adviser joining the crew.
We christened September with a
new event: UA on Display--- a
roaring success. We sponsored
our 1st annual Leadership Marketplace where all our student
“College of Health Professions”
“We Are . . . The College of Health
Professions”
It became official . . . July 1, 2012 the
College of Nursing, along with the
School of Nutrition and Dietetics, the
School of Social Work and the School
of Speech-Language Pathology &
Audiology united forces to become
the College of Health Professions.
Finally, all of the rumors of who was
going to work for whom, were people
going to physically be moved from
one building to another and most
importantly were jobs going to be
eliminated have all been dispelled.
The building blocks of organization
charts have been stacked, and yes a
few people were relocated from one
building to another. A few of us were
promoted while the rest remained
status quo, and to my knowledge, no
orgs presented their activities and membership requirements. And we’ve experienced our first interprofessional service activity: the
Heart Walk. If this is any
indication of how the year is
going to go…..we need to
take our vitamins and get
our sleep! It’s going to be
“full steam ahead!”
Message from the Editor
one lost their job.
Change can be scary and a bit unnerving depending on how it is
viewed. When one sees change as
something negative and threatening,
you tend to fight it tooth and nail.
Sometimes it takes the dust to settle
before you realize maybe this ‘change
thing’ isn’t as bad a one may have
first thought. I choose to look for the
positives; yes my glass is half full.
Underneath the umbrella of health
professions, students will now have
the opportunity to explore the many
facets of a multitude of health care
entities. Our faculty, advisors and
staff are comprised of a wealth of
knowledge, skills and expertise. As a
united front, students will be educated on how the health professions intertwine with one another therefore
enabling the students to make better
career choices.
So when someone has questions
about Social Work or Audiology,
Nursing or Dietetics, be confident in
directing them our way, knowing
that you work underneath a dynamic
umbrella of educators, “We Are . . .
The College of Health Professions”!
Until the next time,
Désirée Reeves, BA
Editor-in-Chief
College of Health
Professions
Canary’s Corner
Registration and Application Time
for Prenursing LPN and RN Students
LPNs: If all your prerequisite courses
have been (or will be) completed satisfactorily (https://www.uakron.edu/
dotAsset/866326.pdf) and you have the
required 2.75 GPA in prerequisites and in
the prerequisite sciences you need to
meet with me to sign your Progression to
Major Form so you will be able to be register for 8200:216 (Professional Role
Transition for LPNs) for spring semester.
Your orientation to the nursing major
takes place during this class. Please
contact me at ([email protected]) or
call (330) 972-2512 to make an appointment.
RNs: If all your prerequisite courses
have been (or will be) completed satisfactorily https://www.uakron.edu/
dotAsset/866332.pdf and you have the
required 2.75 (or 3.0 for RN to MSN)
GPA in prerequisites (RNs do NOT
need to have the 2.75 science GPA) you
can now sign a Progression to Major
form. A mailing will go out early spring
to schedule your orientation day for the
nursing major. Please contact me
at ([email protected]) or call
(330) 972-2512 to make an appointment to sign your form or
ask any questions.
Freshman & Prenursing Honor Students: If
you have not
signed your Honors College Contract Form
(Honors Distribution) contact
me as soon as
possible!
Volume 2, Issue 5 FALL
Page 3
Marci’s Message
I hope your Fall semester has started well.
Here are just a few
items to keep in mind
as the weeks go on.

Read through the Pre-Nursing/
Nursing Handbook for important
information such as repeat policies
and the Progression to Major application process.
Access the Handbook at
http://www.uakron.edu/


dotAsset/de83a3e9-e540-46218a40-bc1453bc7d2e.pdf.
Check your enrollment appointment through My Akron closer if
you haven’t done so already. If you
need assistance with scheduling
please contact me to set up an
appointment.
is by the science GPA, which includes GOBC I & II with labs and A
& P I & II with labs. If you need a
reminder as to what all of the prerequisites are you can view that
brochure at
http://www.uakron.edu/
nursing/academic-programs/
If you intend to apply for the Fall
2013 nursing class all of the prerequisites must be completed, or be in
progress to be completed by the
end of the Spring 2013 semester.
Keep in mind that ranking for entry
Best wishes on a successful Fall
semester!!!!
New Faces in the Student Success Center
Jirsa’s Journal
Francesca Jirsa serves as an Academic
Advisor for the College of Health Professions in the Student Success Center. Francesca earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science and a Master’s of Arts in
Higher Education Administration, both
from The University of Akron. Her previous work experience is as a Graduate
Assistant for Student Success and Retention in the Department of Student Life
during graduate school and as a student
assistant during her undergraduate career.
Message to Students:
I will be in Mary Gladwin Hall, 313
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and
in Schrank South Hall, 215 Tuesday
and Thursday. Please feel free to drop
in at either location on those specified
days if you need anything.
Please be sure to schedule an appointment to discuss your Spring schedule.
You will always want to check My Akron for your enrollment date.
“Welcome Jan Parish— Student Success Receptionist”
Jan Parish has been with the School of
Nursing since its inception and before
that with the College of Nursing since
September 24, 1990. She began working on a Grant from the National Institute of Health granted to Dr. Margaret
Wineman as principal investigator.
Other positions that Jan has held has
been as receptionist in the Dean’s Office, and also in the past as an Admin-
istrative Secretary for the Learning
Resources Center and the former Center for Gerontological Health Nursing
and Advocacy.
Jan reports that she is very happy in
her new position with the Student Success Center within the Office of Student Affairs in the College of Health
Professions!
Page 4
“1st Leadership Market Place Event Was A Huge Success”
Sciences Club, Child Life,
SNA. Alpha Phi Omega, ARI
-AHEC, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Men in
Nursing, SSLPA, SSW, Student Dietetics Association
and The Source.
The College of Health Professions
held the 1st annual Leadership Market Place event on September 26th in
Mary Gladwin Hall. The event was
designed to showcase all College
clubs and organizations on campus
and to educate students about the
different leadership and involvement
opportunities available. Faculty,
staff, and over one hundred students visited the hour long event
proclaiming it to be a “huge success”. Information on the different activities and membership
requirements were provided.
Some of the student organizations present were: Consumer
All College Open House—November 28th
An interprofessional college committee is planning an Open House to
meet and greet students and faculty
alike who would like to see more of
our new entity —- The College of
Health Professions. Our learning
community freshmen will be required
to visit each facility but the option
will be open to everyone else as well.
We will be providing a “Tour and
Treat” at each facility hosted by
faculty/student teams who will
show visitors around. This should
be a fun occasion inspiring better
understanding and collaboration as
our college matures and expands.
Please watch your e-mail for the
office invitation and join us if you
can!
Thank You—-Thank You—-Thank You!!!
A loud “thank you” goes out
to both faculty, staff and students for all the extra help
and assistance you have given to the various student recruitment and retention
events that have been held
since the start of fall semes-
ter. Everyone has been more than
generous giving up weekends to
participate in in our many activities. None of this would be possible without each and every one of
you! The College of Health Professions is truly a “class act!”
Volume 2, Issue 5 FALL
Page 5
“Welcome Kimberly Moss”
Director of Workforce Development
Kimberly
Moss
joins The University of Akron as
the Director of
Workforce Development for the
College of Health
Professions. She
will be responsible
for managing and
supporting workforce development
initiatives, outreach and related activities for
the college’s undergraduate and graduate
programs. With 10 years of experience managing workforce and talent management
programs in higher education and highgrowth sector industries, Kimberly will be a
welcome addition to the college.
Prior to joining the University of Akron,
Kimberly was the Workforce Development
Specialist for Summa Health System, where
she managed a diverse portfolio of human
resources development programs to target
current and future workforce shortages in
biomedical science, nursing, allied health and
healthcare administration fields. During that
time she served on a number of executive
advisory teams and regional consortia to
define, strategize and initiate a future
healthcare workforce strategy for Northeast
Ohio, which included the Northeast Ohio
Health Science and Innovation Coalition
(NOHSIC), Northeast Ohio Regional Allied
Health Workforce Steering Team, the
Summit-Medina County Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Council and
Healthcare in Progress.
From 1994 to 2004, Kimberly worked for
KeyCorp, Cuyahoga Community College,
Center for Families and Children and
Cleveland Scholarship Programs, Inc.
where she implemented a variety of programming in the areas of educational opportunity outreach, recruiting and employment services, diversity talent management
and welfare-to-work initiatives in partnership with local and national organizations
that included the U.S. Department of Education, Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services, Inroads, Cleveland Metropolitan
School District, Cleveland Foundation and
Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland.
Previous to this, Kimberly worked in career
services and college admissions with Cleveland State University and Notre Dame Col-
lege of Ohio.
Kimberly holds a Bachelors of Science
degree in Journalism from Ohio University and a Masters of Nonprofit Organizations from Case Western Reserve
University. She is a trained Global Career Development Facilitator (CDF) and
certified Targeted Selection Interviewer,
with active memberships in the National
Association of Workforce Development
Professionals, Society of Human Resources Management, National Career
Development Association and Ohio
Career Development Association.
A native of Cleveland, Kimberly enjoys
reading, traveling and bike riding in her
free time, and volunteers for several
organizations including College Now of
Greater Cleveland, Family Promise of
Greater Cleveland and the Greater
Cleveland Sports Commission.
Dr. Terry Gordon Coming Next Week
"The Wounded Healer" is
the title for the next lecture in the UA Forum Series on Tuesday, Nov. 13,
at 7:30 p.m. in E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall. It
will be presented by a very
familiar face in the Northeast Ohio region — Dr.
Terry Gordon, a retired
cardiologist and the recipient of the 2012 Bert A.
Polsky Humanitarian
Award.
One of Gordon's missions
in life is saving the lives of
children by spearheading a
national campaign called
The Josh Miller HEARTS
Act, which will place Automated External Defibrillators
(AEDs) in every school in the
country.
ing his insight to what we all
desire: spiritual peace. You
can learn more by visiting Dr.
Terry Gordon online.
After tragedy struck his family, leaving his son paralyzed
from an automobile accident,
Gordon says he embarked on
a journey that resulted in a
spiritual awakening to a clearer understanding of life and
the truths it has to offer. The
journey also inspired his first
book, "No Storm Lasts Forever: Transforming Suffering
Into Insight." Now retired
from the practice of cardiology, Gordon's purposeful life is
to continue serving and shar-
We also have a student session scheduled at 4:00p to
5:00p in the Honors College
Conference room. Please email Dr. Klein
([email protected]) if you
are interested in attending.
Tickets for the 7:30 evening
lecture are available at the EJ
Thomas Ticket Office.
Page 6
“School of Nursing”
Dr. Elaine Fisher, Director/Chief Nursing Executive
Dr. Fisher has been named Professor
and Interim Chief Nurse Administrator and Director of the School of
Nursing . She earned a bachelor’s
degree from The University of Akron
(1977) , a Master of Science degree
from Kent State University (1985),
and a doctoral degree in nursing from
the University of Pittsburgh (1999).
Her previous role was Director of the
PhD in Nursing program at The University of Akron. Dr. Fisher teaches
and has taught courses in pharmacology, physiology, pathophysiology and
critical care nursing in the under-
graduate and graduate program in
her 27 years at UA. As a nurse scientist, Dr. Fisher conducts clinical and
bench research for which she has
received local, regional, and
NIH:NINR funding. Her clinical
practice area, adult critical care,
drives her focus of research to identify early biomarkers of oxygenation.
Her research goal is to noninvasively
monitor regional organ oxygenation
using biotechnology to develop an
oxygen-sensitive patch. Such a patch
could assist clinicians in detecting
early changes in gut oxygenation
which have been linked to the
development of multiple organ
failure, sepsis, and shock. Her
work has been presented nationally and internationally at interprofessional conferences.
Who’s Who in the School of Nursing: Cheri Buchanan
Who is the faculty in the
corner office of MGH
201 who fixes registration, shifts clinical placements and can answer
any question asked
about the undergraduate
program? Meet Mrs.
Cheryl Buchanan! Mrs.
Buchanan is the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs, a position that
she started on July 1, 2012
which was similar to her previous position as Coordinator of
the Baccalaureate Programs.
Mrs. Buchanan graduated from
the University of Cincinnati with
her BSN and MSN. She returned to the Akron area and
has been a nursing faculty member at the University of Akron
for 35 years. Her passion for
nursing remains strong and she
continues to practice in the area
of rehabilitation nursing at Edwin Shaw Rehab (AGMC). She
enjoys working with students
and there are rare occasions that
a student is not present in her
office for advice and guidance.
Mrs. Buchanan is an excellent
mentor to faculty.
Who’s Who continued: Patti Purcell
Social media, yodiyo Yodio, Jing, electronic portfolioand The Cloud are part of Patti Purcell’s daily
language in her role as Assistant Director of Innovations/Alternative Pathways in The School of
Nursing. YOU can help us advance the future of
nursing. For your friends who hold an Associate
Degree in Nursing Ms. Purcell is just the person for
them. Patti coordinates our RN-to-BSN Program at
six locations throughout NE Ohio plus the fully
online RN-BSN program, with the next group
forming for Summer 2012. Once prerequisite
courses are completed, these nurses can finish their
BSN in just 3 semesters. In addition to teaching
courses, Patti is an ELNEC (End-of-Life Nursing
Education Consortium) Trainer. She chaired the
Palliative Care Task
Force, leading UA to
become the first
School of Nursing to
offer ELNEC training to the entire
faculty! She received
the Excellence in
Nursing Education
Award from Sigma
Theta Tau International, the honor society of nursing. She is
currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Curricular and
Instructional Studies. Patti Purcell was a Principal Investigator of a multidisciplinary grant
focusing on training Care Managers
to assess and coordinate complex care
of elderly patients within the home
setting. She produced 55 video scenarios to accompany the training
modules. We are pleased to have Patti
Purcell as part of our administrative
team as she continues to focus on
presenting innovative programs to
engage students in online and distance
education.
Volume 2, Issue 5 FALL
Page 7
On the Horizon….
institution. Plain “MSN” guards
are also available for UA BSN
grads. Samples are available in
the Student Success Center.
Please be watching your e-mail
for this notice with a pin order
form attached. All checks should
be made out to the pin company.
Credit cards may be used as
well. Or better yet, put this on
your “Santa List” this year!
The Student Success Center
will be sending out notices
soon concerning pin orders for
nursing seniors and graduating MSN students. The large
shield pin (left) denotes the
BSN. Several decorative
guards are available to attach
to the shield. The small shield
(right) is used as an MSN
guard for students who have
earned their BSN at another
*******************************************
The Success Center is currently in
the process of creating the electronic reservation form for seniors
interested in having their pictures
taken for the school composite (see
MGH 1st floor hallway) and for
the 2x2 photos necessary for the
NCLEX exam. An e-mail will be
sent when reservations are open.
The dates for these photos will be
November 19 & 20th. Individual
sittings every 10 minutes will be
available. A white shirt or sweat-
er should be worn. We will provide a pin to be placed on your
chest for the photo. Charges for
this photo service (John Ashley
Photography) will be listed in
the e-mail notice. Currently,
these photos are scheduled to
take place in the lobby area of
MGH 202 on both the 19th and
the 20th. Please direct all questions to the Student Success
Center after the notice has been
sent out (330-972-5103).
Message from the Records Specialist: Tami Staab
All students should be checking
their DARS reports at the end of
the semester to make sure that all
your course requirements and corequisites are accounted for and
complete. Any discrepancies should
be brought to my attention ASAP.
E-mail me at [email protected].
Faculty advisers and students can
direct all General Education questions to me or the advisers in the
Student Success Center (MGH 313)
to verify appropriate selection.
Honors Distribution questions
should be send to Don Canary
(canary @uakron.edu).
All nursing curriculum and scheduling
questions need to go through Mrs. Buchanan ([email protected]).
Page 8
Student Affairs Newsletter
“The New School of Nutrition and Dietetics”
Interim Director, Sandra L. Hudak PhD, RD, LD
The new School of Nutrition and
Dietetics officially began operation on July 1, 2012. We are
pleased to be members of the new
College of Health Professions.
The School of Nutrition and Dietetics would like to welcome Dr.
Mardi Parelman, Ph.D., Fulltime, Assistant Professor. Dr.
Parelman is teaching Human Nutrition, Nutrition Fundamentals
and starting her research agenda.
We also welcome two visiting instructors: Mrs. Jen Warren MS,
RD., LD. as the instructor in
Food Science, Food Industry, and
other dietetic and Food and Environmental Nutrition courses; and
Mrs. Kathy Schupp MA, RD, LD
the instructor in Nutrition and
Medical Science, Interim Director
of the Nutrition Center and coordinator of the Nutrition and Medical Science supervised practice.
A new staff member for us is Mrs.
Katie Logsdon, Administrative
Assistant.
Mrs. Evelyn Taylor MA, RD, LD
Director of the Nutrition Center.
Retired school members: Mrs Sue
Rasor-Greenhalgh, MS, RD, LD
Interim Director, School of Family and Consumer Sciences and
Nutrition and Dietetic Scholarships Awards
The following students were
awarded scholarships:
Kara Lucas, Coordinated Program in Dietetics - $5000 DeHaven Scholarship
Sadie Dietrick, Food and Environmental Nutrition Program $1000 Lake Erie Institute of Food
Technology
Maggie Simenc, Food and Environmental Nutrition Program $1000 Lake Erie Institute of Food
Technology
Amanda Privitera, Food and Environmental Nutrition Program $1000 Lake Erie Institute of Food
Technology
Stephanie Brazee, Coordinated
Program in Dietetics, - $750, The
University of Akron Nutrition/
Dietetics Program Advisory
Board Scholarship
Kara Lucas, Coordinated Program in Dietetics, - $750 The
University of Akron Nutrition/
Dietetics Program Advisory
Board Scholarship
Natalie Rohr, Coordinated Program in Dietetics - $400 Wallace
T. Williams Memorial Scholarship
Elizabeth Bedell , Coordinated
Program in Dietetics - $400 Wallace T. Williams Memorial Scholarship
Melanie Offineer, Coordinated
Program in Dietetics $300 The Dorothy Laubacher
Scholarship
Natalie Rohr, 2nd year Coordinated Program in Dietetics received the Doris S. Aldrich
Leadership Award in Nutrition
and Dietetics
Volume 2, Issue 5 FALL
Page 9
Faculty Publications
Leann Schaeffer MA, RD, LD, LNHA.
Should Future Dietetic Graduates
Know How to Cook? Journal of Foodservice Management & Education, Volume 5, Number 1, Pages 25 – 30.
©2012.
Published jointly by the Foodservice
Systems Management Educational
Council and the National Association of
College and University Foodservice
Didactic Students Matched to Internships

Didactic students matched to internships:




Christine County – Louis Stokes
Cleveland VA Medical Center
Bethany Dawson- Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
Colleen Glenn – University of
Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, MN


Michelle Kelly – Bowling Green
University, Bowling Green OH
Kristin Perusek – Cleveland
MetroHealth Medical Center,
Cleveland, OH
Aby Sullivan – Central Michigan
University
Christin Swingle – West Virginia
University Hospital, Morgantown
WV

Alysha Whitfield – Southern Regional Medical Center, GA
Students Attend Food and Nutrition Expo
Members of the Student
Dietetic Association (SDA)
were given the opportunity
to attend the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics Food
and Nutrition Exposition
(FNCE) at the Philadelphia
Convention Center from
October 6-9. They explored
the Exposition, met with hundreds
of vendors, and attended professional presentations. Topics included: Energy Balance, From
Farm to Fork, How to get an internship, Job searches in the Social Media Era, MyPlate for kids,
and much more. The students got
to meet with internship directors
from all over the country. Before
they left they had the chance to
see the Liberty Bell and Congressional Hall. Overall, they had a
great weekend of networking,
learning and fun! They will be
having an SDA meeting about
their experiences and bringing the
information back to the members.
Exciting Major Opportunity!
The School of Nutrition and
Dietetics is offering a new
option for students interested
in food, nutrition and business
--The Bachelors of Science
degree in Food and Environmental Nutrition (FEN).
The FEN is a one-of-its kind
program nationally offering its
students the chance to work in
the food industry after graduation. “We are pleased and
excited to offer this opportuni-
ty to our students,” says Visiting
Instructor, Jennifer Warren. “Not
only is our program growing, but
our graduates are being offered
jobs before they even graduate!
There is a great need for food industry professionals in Northeast
Ohio.”
Students in FEN have a thorough
course load that includes nutrition,
microbiology, food science, food
analysis, chemistry, physiology,
entrepreneurship, new venture
creation, and more. Local food industry
experts have evaluated the program for
its rigor and believe the course requirements effectively prepare students to
enter and succeed in the workplace.
Current graduates work in areas such
as quality control/assurance, regulatory
affairs, labeling, sensory evaluation,
product development, and production
management.
If you would like to know more about
the FEN program requirements, contact Jennifer Warren at (330)972-5594
or [email protected].
Page 10
Student Affairs Newsletter
“School of Social Work”
Dr. Tim McCarragher, Director
Timothy McCarragher, Ph.D.,
LISW-S, is the Director of the
School of Social Work, and Associate
Director of the Joint Master of Social Work Program with The University of Akron and Cleveland State
University. He has taught 15 different courses in the Social of Social
Work, primarily in research and
diversity, and has been at The University of Akron since 2000. Tim
has a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from
Case Western Reserve University,
and a Master of Social Work degree
from Cleveland State University. He also has a graduate degree in
theology and a post-graduate pontifical licentiate in spiritual theology
from the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana in Rome, Italy.
Tim’s research interests focus on
child welfare, diversity, and social work education. He has presented his research at the International Conference on Social
Work with Groups, the National
Staff Development and Training
Association, the National Human Services Training Evaluation Symposium, and the Western Social Sciences Association. His work has been published in Social Work Education:
The International Journal, Protecting Children, Child and
Youth Services Review, and the
Proceedings of the 7th Annual
National Human Services Training Evaluation Symposi-
um. Prior to teaching, Tim
worked in the field of HIV/AIDS
as a therapist, case manager,
and clinical coordinator.
School of Social Work Receives Grant From the Enterprise
Holding Foundation
On July 19, 2012, Dr. Baomei Zhao,
associate professor of School of
Social Work at The University of
Akron, has received a grant from
the Enterprise Holdings Foundation for the sixth consecutive
year.
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation is the philanthropic arm of
the company that operates the
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A
Car.
The grant will enable Zhao's students to continue gaining handson experience working with local
social service agencies such as
Project R.I.S.E., Haven of Rest
Ministries, and Freedom House
for Women.
From Left to Right: Dr. Timothy
McCarragher, Ms. Henri Fletcher,
Dr. Baomei Zhao, Ms. Vengalee
Dwyer, Mr. Steve Hennagin, Andrew
Richardson & Mr. John LaGuardia
With the grant support, students were
excited to get more involved in the community services in their University of
Akron T-shirts
Students from School of Social
Work—Social Policy Analysis,
Summer Class 2012
Student Affairs Newsletter
Page 11
US News and World Report Ranks Joint Master of Social Work Program
The Joint Master of Social Work Program,
ciate professor and director of the
relationship between two campuses,
a collaborative effort between The Uni-
School of Social Work. The school
with hardworking faculty and dedicat-
versity of Akron and Cleveland State Uni-
has grown from 24 students in 1995
ed students who strive for academic
versity has been honored in U.S. News &
to more than 350 students today, with
excellence. As an alumnus of the joint
World Report's 2013 edition of "America's
thousands of graduates working in
MSW program and now director of
Best Graduate Schools."
northeast Ohio and beyond.
the School of Social Work, I'm
The Joint Master of Social Work program
"Our students contribute more than
neers in the field have blossomed into
with UA and Cleveland State University
130,000 hours a year in their field
such a successful and well-regarded
was the first program in the country of-
placements working with the most
program."
fered via distance education to be fully
oppressed, marginalized and vulnera-
accredited by the Council on Social Work
ble populations in our communities,"
Education, says Tim McCarragher, asso-
McCarragher says. "Our success is
thrilled to see that the efforts of pio-
the result of a collaborative working
Undergraduate Social Work Program to Offer Courses at Additional Sites
Starting with the spring 2013 se-
work in health services will be of-
The School of Social Work had
mester, the School of Social Work
fered jointly among the three sites.
grown by over fifty percent in the past
will be offering courses for the
All students who are social work
five years, with a record number of
Social Work major at the Lake-
majors will be able to complete the
students currently completing their
wood Campus and Wayne College.
required courses for the major at any
field placements throughout northeast
Courses in ethics, human behavior,
of the three sites.
Ohio.
social work practice, and social
Story of Inspirational Social Work Student!
Faculty and students are encouraged to read Jewell Cardwell’s recent column focusing on an outstanding Social Work major, Marilyn Roberts II.
This excerpt from the article may
whet your appetite for more:
n’t matter that the Canton Timken High School basketball
player and graduate didn’t have
a car at the time; she always
managed to borrow a friend’s
vehicle to get back and forth to
her classes at the University of
Akron.
“Everything about Marilyn Roberts
II — named after her mother —
and her resume underscores her
dedication and laser focus. It did-
Even more remarkably, she graduated with a 3.3 GPA, making
the dean’s list five times, while
holding down jobs at two differ-
ent group homes.”
To read the full article go to
http://www.ohio.com/news/local/
jewell-cardwell-former-projects-kid
-wants-to-return-and-help1.343582
Page 12
“School of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology”
Dr. Roberta DePompei, Director
$1.15 Million Grant Awarded
The School of Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology has
received a $1.15 million grant
from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the
U.S. Department of Education.
The Grant will enhance the
training of graduate students in
Speech-Language Pathology in
order to facilitate listening and
spoken language outcomes for
children with hearing loss.
The funding establishes the
Graduate Studies Consortium in
Listening and Spoken Language
and will be co-directed by K.
Todd Houston, PhD, Associate
Professor and Lori Pakulski,
PhD, Director, Speech-Language
Pathology Program at The Uni-
versity of Toledo. During the
next five years, the program will
allow more than 40 graduate students to develop highly specialized knowledge and skills.
“Today, due to universal newborn
hearing screening, early fitting of
hearing technology, and early
intervention, infants and toddlers
with significant hearing loss have
the potential to acquire language
outcomes that are on par with
their hearing peers,” said K. Todd
Houston, PhD, Project CoDirector. “Unfortunately, parents
often struggle to find practitioners who are well-trained to meet
the developmental and communication needs of these children.
This partnership with The Uni-
versity of Toledo will allow us
to develop additional coursework, practicum, and fieldbased experiences to meet
this critical need and ensure
that more children with hearing loss and their families get
the services they need to be
successful.”
Center for Child Development
Accredited through the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC), The University of Akron Center for
Child Development (CCD) is
committed to serving children, families, the community, and the university
through collaborative efforts
to provide quality programs
and learning experiences for
children and students. CCD
provides clinical experiences
for students enrolled in a
variety of majors. CCD pro-
gramming is also aligned with
course offerings, licensure requirements and accreditation requirements within the colleges. Associate Director, Sophia Kraus looks
forward to working with the faculty of the College of Health Professions and developing clinical and
research experiences for faculty
and students. Mrs. Kraus serves
as a liaison for individuals interested in completing observations
or field work in a Toddler or Preschool Classroom. Faculty interested in collaborating should contact Mrs. Kraus directly to discuss
opportunities
([email protected]).
Page 13
Audiology and Speech Center
the-art technology. The Center
now offers a biofeedback laboratory, palatometry, and an evergrowing telepractice. The use of
iPads is also an expanding and
popular therapy tool for both our
adult clients and our youngsters.
We are accepting new clients
from both UA and Northeast
Ohio communities. Visit our
website at www.uakron.edu/sslpa
or contact our Center’s clinic office at 330-972-6035.
The Audiology and Speech Center
is a dynamic clinical environment. Our clinical activities
encompass work within the Center located in the Polsky Building as well as in partner sites
located throughout Summit
County providing clinical services to community partners
such as Neurology and Neurological Associates of Akron, Imagine School, and the Summit
County ESC, among others.
Internally, the in-house clinics
are benefitting from new state-of-
Preparing Students for Practice
The School of Speech Language
Pathology and Audiology is recognized as a national leader. It provides evidence-based clinical
training to prepare and graduate
highly qualified audiologists and
speech-language pathologists.
Located in the Polsky Building on
the first floor (181), SSLPA offers
programs in audiology, speechlanguage pathology , American
Sign Language and child
life. The clinical training focus of
SSLPA prepares students to work
in a variety of settings that includes private practice, hospital,
outpatient clinics, schools or
nursing homes.
As part of the new College of
Health Professions, SSLPA is
looking forward to working
with students interprofessionally, contributing to the understanding of how to work in
teams while here at the University and preparing these
students for true interprofessional collaboration when
working in the community.
SSLPA is pleased to welcome
several new faculty members:.
 Scott Palasik, PhD who is
an expert in fluency disorders;
 Rose Resler, MA., who directs our child life specialist programs;
 Sophia Kraus, MA who is
an Associate Clinical In-
structor and Associate Director of The University of
Akron Center for Child Development;
 James Halischak, MA who
teaches in the American
Sign Language program
and
 Jennifer Visger, MA who is
a clinical supervisor in our
Audiology and Speech Center.
Exciting initiatives such as esupervision; telehealth; and
online coursework and degrees
are offered in our school. We
invite you to drop by to visit
and learn more about SSLPA
and our programs.
Page 14
Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium
The University of Akron, in parternship with Kent State University and
the Cleveland Clinic Foundation
offers the Doctor of Audiology degree
through the Northeast Ohio Au.D.
Consortium (NOAC). This program
provides students with exposure to
the breadth and depth of diagnostic
and rehabilitative audiology.
Two Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium (NOAC) alumnae recently returned to Akron for presentations to
our audiology doctoral students.
Captain Elizabeth McKenna, a 2007
graduate, of the United States Air
Force presented the keynote address
at our 10th Annual White Coat Cere-
mony. Dr. McKenna is stationed
at Wright Patterson Air Force base
in Dayton and is the Hearing Conservation Program Manager at the
School of Aerospace Medicine.
Cpt. Elizabeth McKenna
Lieutenant Jessica Snyder, a 2011
graduate, gave a presentation at
grand rounds concerning opportunities for audiologists in the United States Navy. Dr. Snyder is at
the National Intrepid Center of
Excellence (NICoE), of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
American Sign Language Program
The American Sign Language Program at The University of Akron
ensures student opportunity for
developing competencies in conversational American Sign Language
while obtaining university credit
toward foreign language requirement or elective study.
Via four levels of consecutive
American Sign Language coursework, our Survey of Deaf Culture
course, and an optional First Re-
sponders to the Deaf Community
course, students are evaluated per individual class success and continue on
with passing grades. Manual Communication Certificates are awarded to
those students successfully completing
the full menu of courses. First Responders to the Deaf Community may
be taken after earning a grade of “C” or
better in American Sign Language-3.
For more information contact:
Ms. Lori Palmer, our American
Sign Language Program Coordinator at [email protected]