Students in Communication Sciences at Augustana College are looking forward to a "bigger and better" Brodahl building.
Saturday, April 27th, ground will be broken for a two-story, 3.8 million dollar addition to the college's Betsey Brodahl Hall. The Communication Sciences and Disorders program, C-S-D for short, currently has about 100 students enrolled.
Ann Perreau, Associate Professor in the department, says the expansion is worth so much more than just some extra space for CSD majors.
"With the program expansion, we will now have graduate students, about 20 per year," said Perreau. "We will offer a two-year master's program. With that we'll also be recruiting new faculty to help with both the academic and clinical services we provide."
Currently, between 95 and 100 percent of Augustana's CSD majors go on to grad school, and the new master's program should make that transition seamless. Perreau also says the expansion will help the clinical side of the program reach more patients and provide more experience for students.
The groundbreaking will include an Autism Walk at 9 am at the Pepsico Center and an alumni panel discussion shortly after the ceremony in Augustana's Hanson Hall.