Longwood’s communication sciences and disorders graduate program recently received reaccreditation through the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA)—with evaluators describing Longwood’s program as “top-notch.” Over the summer the CAA voted to continue accreditation for the graduate education program in speech-language pathology for a period of eight years, through June 30, 2031.
The CAA promotes excellence in the graduate education of audiologists and speech-language pathologists and is dedicated to audiology and speech-language pathology programs’ success in preparing future professionals. Through a peer-review process, the CAA establishes accreditation standards, encourages continuous quality improvement of the programs it accredits, and ensures that graduates of CAA-accredited and candidate programs obtain the core set of skills and knowledge needed for entry into independent professional practice.
“The process of going through reaccreditation was rigorous, and the CSD faculty worked tirelessly for over a year in preparation,” said Alison King, director of the CSD graduate program. “The site visitors described Longwood’s graduate program as intentional, individualized and ideal. We are proud of our program and our outstanding scholars!”
More than a year’s worth of work to prepare for the reaccreditation came down to a two-day site visit by four visitors. The process included interviews with faculty and staff, student meetings, file reviews and feedback from the community. The site visitors noted the vital services that Longwood’s CSD program provides to the greater Farmville community and surrounding areas.
“I am beyond proud of our program, the students and our community,” said Caitlin Frank, director of Longwood Speech, Hearing, and Learning Services (SHLS). “In the site visitors’ closing remarks, they described our students as articulate scholars and our program as a whole as a ‘top-notch, Cadillac program.’”
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