Strategic Plan
Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences Department
Strategic Plan for the Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology 2023-2027
The Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences (SLHS) Department is committed to the education of students, both undergraduate and graduate, that is centered around the belief that all people—across all ages, cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, and abilities—should be afforded the opportunity to be effective communicators. Our ambition is to prepare qualified, compassionate individuals and to inspire them to become leaders who seek to improve the lives of individuals with communication disorders by recognizing the unique qualities of each client and demonstrating respect for the communities in which they live. It was from here that the Graduate Program in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) approached their recent Strategic Plan (2018-2022) and is the fundamental spirit as we embark on the systematic and thoughtful development of a new one to guide us from 2023 into 2027.
As a department within the Loyola College of Arts and Sciences division of Loyola University Maryland, it is critical that our strategic plan align with the University’s, which also is currently in the strategic planning process. Consistent with the University, the Department of SLHS is committed to honoring the Jesuit tenet of ‘strong truths well lived,’ to look to the future with hope, to learn where and how we can do better, and to build on our resilience and strengths. Finally, our strategic planning is congruent with the University’s Jesuit, Catholic values, and is dedicated to following Loyola University MD’s lead to Collaborate and Aspire to Reflect and Engage (C.A.R.E.).
Our department mission and vision were updated in January, 2024 and can be found here. Mission and Vision
Process for New Strategic Plan
As noted by ASHA (2023), ‘strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what the program does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future.’ Our current planning process requires us to ask 3 questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to be/go? How do/can we get there?
The following steps are being taken to create our new Strategic Plan, spanning from December 2023 to June 2024:
| Conduct a SWOT analysis to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the program |
| Develop a Vision statement |
| Develop a Mission statement |
| Identify Focus Areas of concern |
| Write an Issue Statement for each Focus Area |
| Write an Outcome Statement related to the identified Issue |
| Write an Indicator of Success statement that reflects a change in performance from the Baseline Data |
| Develop Strategies that will be implemented to accomplish the desired Outcome. The Strategy should be an activity that will reduce the gap between the Baseline Data and the Indicator of Success |
| Pull all of the components together to prepare the final Strategic Plan |
Ongoing Initiatives: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice 2020-2023
Consistent with the University, the Department of SLHS committed to taking specific steps to grow in better living out our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Please see the SLHS Department’s Anti-Racism and Justice Statement. The DEIJ plan continues through 2023 even as we work to launch a new plan in early spring 2024. As we develop our new strategic goals and initiatives, we will ensure that we continue the work started in the DEIJ strategic plan and build upon it to make it a more integral part of our life at Loyola.
Specifically, we remain committed to our original goals to (a) Recruit students from underrepresented groups (i.e., males, students who list their race/ethnicity as non-white, bi-multilingual, and non-traditional students); and (b) Increase number of opportunities for academic and clinical faculty to engage in training and, subsequently, teaching students related to diverse populations including: age, ethnicity, linguistic background, national origin, race, religion, gender, SES, and sexual orientation. In addition, we are committed in action to the direct, systematic DEIJ education for our graduate students specific to SLP, including culturally responsive and sustaining practices in assessment and intervention.
