Preamble and Background
In March 2025, Emerson College launched its new strategic plan, Extraordinary Emerson 2030 (EE 2030), which will guide the College’s operations over the next five years. EE 2030 serves as the framework and roadmap for the continued evolution of the College’s academic programs and operations. As the current strategic planning period for the Emerson SLP program comes to a close, this is an ideal time to reflect on our accomplishments and to align our goals for the next five years with the priorities outlined in EE 2030.
Current Status
During the last year, the CSD Department graduate program made continuous and steady advances towards achieving the goals that were set in the current strategic plan. We have already engaged in the process of collecting the data that will drive our next strategic plan cycle. Our target launch date for the new strategic plan is December 2025.
Summary
The following is a summary of the Emerson CSD program’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan for the most recent academic year.
Focus Area #1: Faculty and Staff
Following a national search in 2025, we successfully hired a new faculty member. This individual will not only provide a unique academic experience for our students but also introduce a new research area to the department. We have ensured that the new faculty member has the necessary lab space and materials to support their research agenda. Additionally, we have successfully analyzed and identified the appropriate staffing and support structure needed for the department’s ongoing operation and growth.
Focus Area #2: Students
Students have showcased their research accomplishments—supported by our faculty—in a variety of forums and conferences. This is one example of Emerson’s CSD program’s ability to prepare students for clinical excellence within a strong, research-based framework. Aligned with our core values, we have also been intentionally working on expanding the diversity of the composition of our student body.
Focus Area #3: Curriculum
We have made great strides in mapping our graduate curriculum, supported by Emerson’s Office of Academic Assessment. This process is expected to conclude before the end of the Fall 2025 semester. It has provided a valuable opportunity to engage in productive conversations about content areas, credit loads, and other key considerations. We have also been updating our curriculum through iterative changes informed by assessment results and current professional trends. We were successful in our goal of building and launching graduate-level courses in both our modalities to add specific content related to principles of patient-centered care and counseling skills. The program has also been consistently using data to inform decisions related to the clinical placements for our students. We have been able to document our ability to provide students with a clinical education program that is sufficient in breadth and depth and that provides a wide variety of opportunities for students to obtain clinical education experiences.
Focus Area #4: Research
Our faculty and their research have been showcased in multiple professional activities throughout the year. Emerson has recognized our faculty’s research capacity in various ways, including appointing them to key research-related roles in the College (e.g., IRB Chair, Director of Research Hub). Faculty have continued to successfully lead their research labs, providing meaningful research and collaboration opportunities for our students. Graduate students can use the thesis option (in place of comprehensive exam) to conduct original research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Many thesis students go on to present or publish their work. Grant writing and the support of research activities through both internal and external funding sources have also been central components of our research agenda.
Focus Area #5: Administration
Emerson has consistently supported the CSD department in meeting our needs and expectations. Throughout the year, ongoing conversations about needs in the areas of budget, personnel, equipment, and more have allowed us to operate efficiently and to strategize the changes necessary to ensure long-term sustainable operations. Over the past year, the College administration supported the department by making key hires (e.g., Department Administrator), providing the necessary funding to purchase specialized equipment (e.g., FEES and endoscopy), and funding faculty and student travel to professional conferences, among other initiatives.