FROM THE
DIRECTOR’S DESK Mark Guiberson, PhD, CCC-SLP
August 2025
A Year of Growth, Gratitude, and New Beginnings By: Mark Guiberson, PhD CCC-SLP With the new school year around the corner, I want to share a few updates from UWYO ComDis. We’ve got good momentum and a lot to be proud of. This fall, we’re welcoming 21 new students into the MS SLP program, our largest cohort yet. They’re smart, motivated, and ready to get into the clinic. We also wrapped up our 8-year CAA re-accreditation process last spring, and I’m happy to report the program was found in full compliance with no dings. That kind of result doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects the strong, steady work being done across the board by faculty, staff, students, and clinical partners. Our guiding vision remains the same: to be a program of excellence with cutting-edge research, exceptional teaching and learning, and state-of-the-art clinical programs. You’ll see evidence of this throughout the newsletter, and we’ll post our annual progress report on the website in September. I’ve got a few highlights to share. Our faculty are getting noticed and receiving awards and grants, including alumna Kyliah Ferris and me receiving the Editor’s Award from Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools (pictured on this page). We also have some incredible, innovative research to share. Be sure to check out these accomplishments along with a summary of scholarships we’ve been able to award. The Steve Elliott Scholarship in Communication has grown over the years thanks to Paul and Judy Lerwick, and our students are truly grateful for the support that honors Steve’s legacy. You’ll also learn about the Dean and Iola Cosner Memorial Endowed Scholarship, a new fund with a remarkable backstory. Thank you to ALL of our scholarship donors, our students couldn’t do it without your support! We’re excited to welcome Dr. Nora Gulick to the faculty and to introduce our new College of Health Sciences Dean, Patrick Hardigan, a Wyoming native who has already shown strong support for our work. In May, we also said goodbye to Doug Petersen, who has moved on to a new position. Doug was always on the go with his research, so we’re not surprised he’s on the move again. While we’ll miss him, we’re also looking forward to welcoming new faculty who bring fresh energy and ideas to the program.
Mark Guiberson (left) and Kyliah Ferris (right) holding LSHSS Editor’s Award This year, we also lost a dear colleague and mentor, Dr. Mary Jo Hidecker-Cooley, who passed away in February. Mary Jo was deeply respected and loved, and she is missed by many. On the clinic front, we’re making a big move. The UW Speech and Hearing Clinic is relocating to a newly remodeled space in the Mountain View Medical Park at 2710 Harney Street. The new space includes upgraded instrumentation, enhanced video capture for teaching, three group treatment rooms, individual treatment rooms, a new audiology booth in a bold splash of blue, and a clinical instruction room where students will take classes. The clinic will be easy to access and has plenty of parking, which we know matters. A big thanks to Maggie and Dick Scarlett, whose support through the Scarlett Excellence Fund and other generous gifts made the remodel and technology upgrades possible. We’re aiming for a midSeptember opening and will host a Grand Opening and an Open House during the fall WYOSHA conference in Laramie. Signing off with a big thank you to all our off-campus supervisors and generous donors. Your continued support makes our program truly exceptional.