Welcome Graduates! Today is your day! Although, we wish we could be celebrating with you in person, please don your cap or your favorite UB sweatshirt and explore our virtual graduation site in honor of you! From all the faculty and staff in CDS - Congratulations!!
This is Jeff Higginbotham, the Department Chair and I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize all the undergraduate and graduate students who are graduating this year.
Most of you have been in school since you were 4-5 years old, so this weekend marks a pretty important time for each of you and your families, as it represents the culmination of many years of education. The entire faculty realizes the importance of this process, and you should know that we learn as much from you as you from us. So this is a very proud moment for us too.
I realize this semester and graduation is far different than what you and your families expected. It's certainly different than what our faculty expected as well.
One thing for certain, life is changing.
This is my 6th year as department chair - the 6th year giving this speech (although this time via written word). Each year I make a point about talking about change and the need to have an education that prepares you for the rapid changes occurring in our profession. Well these last few months have been a real world example of having to make rapid and perhaps permanent changes in some of the ways that we work and go to school.
Every year in my graduate speech, I would make a prediction that "in a few years" we would be engaging in telepractice for speech-language pathology and audiology. In the last few months since the pandemic started, we've completely revised the ways that we are going to be delivering our services to incorporate a heavy dose of telepractice in our graduate training program.
And of course all of you have experienced the good - and the bad - of online education this spring as the entire university pivoted with a little as a week's notice to delivering all coursework remotely. As we move back into the classroom, we will be taking the best of what we learned from this situation to create better classroom experiences.
In this brief time, much of our research has moved out of our labs to be conducted remotely. In my own lab, my students are located all across the state and in Canada, as well! We do our work analyzing video via the internet and meet for weekly lab meetings. For us, it's worked out pretty well. I'm pleasantly surprised how we were able to adapt so quickly to the changing circumstances.
I know these last few months have been challenging for each one of you and please know that the entire faculty appreciates your circumstances and are proud of your ability to adapt to this new, and hopefully temporary, predicament. As each of you reflect on your time in college, please recognize your abilities to change in the face of a challenge - like the pandemic. Being able to make changes and see opportunities, particularly in the face of adversity will be an important key to your professional - and personal success.
Please take care, and Congratulations Class of 2020!
Jeff Higginbotham, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences
Fellow, American Speech-Language and Hearing Association
Virtual commencement ceremonies for all CAS departments:
Graduate
Friday, May 15
1 p.m.
Undergraduate
Saturday, May 16
3 p.m.
Post on social media using #UBclassof2020
Social Media Celebration:
buffalo.edu/ubclass2020
Special thanks to Jordynn and Matt Koroschetz who worked hard to edit our videos!
We are proud to announce our 2020 undergraduate and graduate award recipients. Official notification to each individual will be forthcoming. Congratulations!!
Carly Morris (Speech)
Heather Regasz-Rethy (Speech)
Brendan Fitzgerald (AuD)
Juliana Riordan (AuD)
Granted to student clinicians in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences (CDS), who have demonstrated outstanding performance and potential for excellence as master clinicians in speech pathology/audiology. Through the generosity of Mrs. Jan Tindle, a courageous lady who worked hard to overcome the handicapping effects of a total laryngectomy, and to Professor Lewis K. Shupe formerly of this faculty, who helped her as clinician and friend, a fund was established in 1991 to provide awards to student clinicians in this service area.
Brianna Gross
Kirstin White
Honors deserving speech graduate students working in the area of Child Language Disorders, in memoriam to Dr. Weber, the first CDS doctoral recipient who had a heartfelt interest in child language disorders. This endowed fund was established in November 1997.
Jordynn Koroschetz (Speech)
Angela Volpe (Speech)
Celia Zhang (AuD)
Granted to female graduate students in CDS exhibiting excellence in academic and clinical studies in the service area of Speech Language Pathology and/or Audiology.
Eric Mandel
Carly Morris
Granted to outstanding students working in the Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic who demonstrates high productivity, superior work ethic and who goes above and beyond to support the mission of the clinic.
Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson of Hamburg, N.Y., graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Hearing Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics. Wilson worked as an undergraduate researcher in Professor Ling-Yu Guo's Child Language Lab and received project funding through UB’s Experiential Learning Network for an undergraduate research project. She works part-time at Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center. After graduation, Wilson plans to pursue a master's degree in communicative disorders and sciences.
Honors the most outstanding graduating senior from each department in UB's College of Arts and Sciences. The award recognizes the undergraduate who has best demonstrated the highest level of academic achievement and involvement in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences (CDS).
Grace Galvin
Mary Wilson
Kaylie Schemm
Recognizes an outstanding undergraduate student in our Department. The award is based on quality of the student's work in the area of research.
Madeleine Friedman
Recognizes an outstanding undergraduate student for reliability and dedication in helping with community and school volunteer projects.
The CDS Department has several very active professional associations. These students have gone 'above and beyond' their busy student lives to give back to their organizations. Thank you to our officers and active members for your service to your community and your future profession. Congratulations!
2019-2020 GSA Officers
President: Jordynn Koroschetz
Vice President: Jessica Browning
Secretary: Julie Pento
Treasurer: Heather Regasz-Rethy & Sara Herr
Fundraising Chair: Erin Mangene
Service Chair: Charlotte Molloy
Social Chair: Carolyn Jimenez
Senators: Nicole Kellar, Hind Alamari, Desiree Doucette
2019-2020 NSSLHA Officers
President: Stephanie Guardado
Vice President: Jordynn Koroschetz
For the second consecutive year, the UB NSSLHA Chapter has been awarded the NSSLHA Chapter Gold Honors. UB's Chapter is among less than 70 chapters to be awarded nationally that demonstrate an outstanding effort to support National NSSLHA’s mission to inspire, empower, and support students in CDS. They have sought to unite undergraduate (SASH) and graduate (GSA) efforts to participate in professional service, advocacy, and educational events at UB and in Buffalo. Congratulations for all their hard work!
UB NSSLHA Earns Gold Honor Award Second Year In Row
2019-2020 Executive Board
President: Emily Kam
Vice-President: Haley Connolly
Secretary: Alex Verost
Treasurer: Alicia Vilnyanskiy
Outreach Chair: Jenna Hendler
Social Chair: Tara Mango
2019-2020 SASH Officers
President: Stephanie Guardado
Vice President: Madeleine Friedman
Secretary: Sara Spilkevitz
Treasurer: Paulina Nicole Gonzalez
Student Liaison: Sandra Lee
Friday, May 15 1 p.m.
This virtual ceremony is for graduate students from all departments within the College of Arts and Sciences.
Saturday, May 16 3 p.m.
This virtual ceremony is for undergraduate students from all departments within the College of Arts and Sciences.