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The Master of Science (MS) education program in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) at the University of Mary is holding an in-person, on-campus follow-up site visit by the initial accreditation Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 2200 Research Blvd, #310, Rockville, Maryland, 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Due to the travel restrictions and health and safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CAA conducted all site visits as full-team virtual site visits between Fall 2020 and Spring 2022. The MS SLP program was awarded initial accreditation (2/2022) following a virtual site visit on October 25 and 26, 2021. In accordance with USDE guidelines and the emergency policy the CAA adopted on June 4, 2020, the CAA is conducting in-person follow-up site visits to the university programs visited during that period.

In accordance with the CAA’s public comment policy and procedures, the CAA is seeking public comment as part of its review. According to the CAA, individuals who wish to provide input about a program seeking candidacy or initial accreditation or about a CAA-accredited program seeking continued accreditation may do so in two ways:

1. By submitting written comments prior to the accreditation site visit. All comments are due in the Accreditation Office no later than three business days before the first day of the scheduled site visit. Comments received after this time will not be forwarded to the site visit team for consideration during the accreditation review in accordance with the procedures specified in Chapter XII of the Accreditation Handbook.
2. By providing comments to the site visit team during the program’s scheduled site visit, such as during the public meeting.
   • As part of the site visit, an in-person public meeting will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in the Simmons Center at the University of Mary.
   • All are welcome to attend, and attendees will have the opportunity to meet with a member of the accreditation site-visit team to provide personal observations and feedback related to the graduate program’s compliance with the CAA’s accreditation standards. A copy of the Standards for Accreditation and/or the CAA’s Policy on Public Comment may be obtained by contacting the Accreditation Office at ASHA, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, calling ASHA’s Action Center at 800-498-2071 or accessing the documents online at .

All comments must:

• Relate to a program’s compliance with the published Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Education Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (Standards) in effect at the time comments are submitted.
• Identify the specific program seeking candidacy, initial accreditation, or continued accreditation with the CAA.
• All written testimony—including comments faxed or submitted as e-mail attachments–must include the commenter’s name, address, and telephone contact information and the commenter’s relationship to the program in order for the accreditation staff to verify the source of the testimony. All comments must be signed.

Comments that do not meet these requirements will not be considered, and the individual or group commenting will be notified.

Comments should be submitted to:

Accreditation Public Comment
Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA)
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard, #310
Rockville, MD 20850
accreditation@asha.org
Fax: 301-296-8570

A copy of the Standards for Accreditation and/or the CAA’s Policy on Public Comment may be obtained by contacting the Accreditation Office at ASHA, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, calling ASHA’s Action Center at 1-800-498-2071, or accessing the documents online at .