Emerson College has embarked on an inclusive, inspiring, and transformative endeavor to create and implement a new strategic plan. This six-year plan will coincide with Emerson’s 150th anniversary in 2030 and will help the College update its mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities. The current 2022-2025 CSD Department strategic plan aligns with Emerson College’s five strategies for achieving its objectives:
- Academic Excellence
- Civic Engagement
- Internationalization, and
- Global Engagement, Innovation, and Financial Strength
The CSD plan is divided into five focus areas:
- Faculty and Staff,
- Students,
- Curriculum,
- Research, and
- Administration
Now, in the final year of our Strategic Plan, the CSD Department is in a unique historical moment to revise the plan and update our goals according to what will be the new Emerson College Strategic Plan.
The academic year 2024-2025 marks the final period of the three-year cycle of the CSD Strategic Plan. The department has successfully completed this cycle and will engage in a review process to establish new goals aligned with the forthcoming Emerson Strategic Plan. The new CSD Strategic Plan will be developed in Spring 2025 and will take effect the following Fall.
Focus Areas
Focus Area #1: Faculty and Staff
With the support of the College Office of Academic Affairs, the CSD Department has intentionally crafted job descriptions that emphasize the department’s commitment to diversity and racial equity. We have also demonstrated our ability to retain faculty members by providing them with the resources available to us.
Focus Area #2: Students
In 2022, we made a concerted effort to increase the number of admitted students from a variety of cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, and linguistic backgrounds. So far, we have been successful in enhancing the diversity of our student population. As of Fall 2024 51% of our online modality graduate students identify as non-white. On the residential modality this number is 25%. Of the recently admitted graduate students for both modalities, 46% identify as non-white.
Focus Area #3: Curriculum
We have successfully implemented a curriculum centered on diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Recently, we launched courses focused on Culturally Responsive Frameworks and Practices in the SLP profession. Our DEI content is reinforced by a new required course in Counseling for the SLP profession. Additionally, we have been intentional about infusing these content areas across the curriculum, including both clinical and research components.
Focus Area #4: Research
The CSD Department's research agenda has remained stable and consistent over the past year. Students have been supported in attending professional activities, completing their research, and, in some cases, publishing their work in open-access journals. We have seen remarkable progress in interprofessional collaborations both within and outside the College.
Focus Area #5: Administration
The new leadership team appointed at Emerson has provided a valuable opportunity to engage in a thoughtful planning process. This has allowed the department to identify needs and evaluate budget allocations to enhance operations and facilitate growth. The department recently completed the annual budget forecast and a separate request for budget enhancements. While the forecast supports everyday operations, the enhancements allow the department to document its budget needs for sustainable growth.