FY 2008 Annual Report of Achievements - Gallaudet University

Graduate Education Goals and Challenges
Concerns about Gallaudet’s accreditation status had a negative effect on the Graduate
School’s FY 2008 enrollment. Graduate students are keenly aware of the importance of
accreditation, and when applicants who did not accept Gallaudet’s offer of admission were queried,
concerns about accreditation were paramount. On the other hand, according to a survey conducted
by the Graduate Admissions Office, those applicants who matriculated did so because (a) the
program offerings matched their main interests, (b) the reputations of the graduate faculty were a
significant draw, and (c) Gallaudet offered a bilingual ASL/English learning environment. These
factors contributed to steady enrollment despite MSCHE’s placing Gallaudet on probation and
delaying reaccreditation until June 2008.
Goals for the Graduate School in FY 2009 are to maintain the quality of current programs
and to implement continuous improvement based on assessment of student learning outcomes at
the program level. Curriculum revisions are currently underway to streamline some programs. In
addition, graduate programs are developing alternative formats of study including online degrees,
hybrid degrees, and certificates to serve constituencies who wish to pursue graduate education at
Gallaudet but are unable to be in residence. Some programs are expected to grow. For example, the
Department of Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences has moved into its new facilities in the
Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC) and plans to admit a larger number of
students as a result of the enhanced infrastructure supporting the program. The Department of
Interpretation plans to expand its bachelor’s degree program by entering into partnerships with
community colleges. The NSF-supported Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual
Learning (VL2) and the Rehabilitation and Engineering Research Center on Hearing Enhancement
(RERC-HE), both housed in the SLCC, offer students numerous opportunities for research
internships, assistantships, and fellowships. These interdisciplinary research centers are expected to
attract graduate students and enhance the quality of the graduate experience at Gallaudet. An
interdisciplinary doctoral degree is being developed to take full advantage of the opportunities
offered by these research centers.
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