James I. Perkins College of Education
Department of Human Services
2010-2011 Annual Report
Department Chair:
Departmental Advisory Council Member:
Robbie J. Steward, Ph.D.
Christine Bergan, Ph.D.
Carol Harrison, Ph.D.
David Lawson, Ph.D.
Dixie Mercer, Ph.D.
Le’Ann Solmonson, Ph.D.
Barry Stafford
Frankie Swift
Bill Weber, Ph.D.
Scott Whitney, Ph.D.
DEPARTMENTAL MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS (11)
The Cole Audiology Lab offered hearing evaluations to SFA employees, their families and the general public.
Services include hearing evaluations for all ages, hearing aid fitting and repairs, earplugs for noise and swimming, and auditory processing evaluations. Faculty and graduate students in the Speech and Language completed hearing screenings for all students in the Nacogdoches Independent School District.
The Career Planning Clinic provided vocational testing and career guidance to adolescents participating in the
Good-will Guide Program for at-risk populations in the surrounding community.
The Educational Diagnostician program has been nationally recognized by the Council for Exceptional
Children, an international community of educators who are the voice and vision of special education. This program at SFA has demonstrated through performance-based assessment measures that candidates meet the standards of knowledge and skill required for the profession.
The Rehabilitation & Counseling Programs offered free anonymous depression screenings in recognition of
National Depression Screening Day (NDSD). Screenings will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, in the lobby of the Human Services Telecommunications Building. Attendees had the opportunity to complete a written self-assessment and talk one-on-one with a mental health counselor in training. Those who appear to need further evaluation will be given referrals to local treatment services.
The Online Special Education Degree Completion Program was launched this year with 20 students from all over the State. This innovative program allows paraprofessionals working in Texas public schools and other qualified individuals who have completed at least 45 hours at community colleges to seamlessly transfer to SFASU and complete online a BSIS degree and EC-12 special education teacher certification. Recruiting for the second cohort to begin in fall 2011 is well underway with twelve students accepted and ten applications pending.
The School Psychology doctoral program has once again been approved by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board (THECB). The masters program maintains its accreditation by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) .
SFASU Administration and the Dean provided support of the Department by allowing four (4) job searches for the positions of Audiologist and three tenure track academic appointments in School Psychology, Special Education, and Orientation and Mobility.
Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology program, Stanley Speech and Hearing Clinic, and Cole
Audiology Clinic hosted an informational booth in the Fredonia Hotel this Fall for outreach to the geriatric population in the surrounding community. Over 200 contacts were made, resulting in new patient inquiries and/or referrals for evaluations and treatment. This was an invaluable opportunity to increase the public awareness of the wide range of clients served by these two clinics.

All eighteen Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology program masters-level May graduates were employed within one month of graduation. The starting salaries ranged from $65,000—$80,000.
All of our Counseling program students passed the Comprehensive Examination and the Palestine Counseling cohort graduated in December!
Dr. Carol Harrison (Special Education) and Mr. Bob Bryant (Orientation and Mobility) have decided to enjoy life beyond higher education at the end of this academic year. We wish for them the very best and a much deserved time of relaxation and continued adventure.
The Board of Regents has approved all course fees submitted last year , which will go into effect this semester.
The Provost and Dean approved our request to reserve the $40,000 savings of HEF funds allocated last year as a down-payment for upgraded technology needed the Counseling Clinic, Speech & Language Pathology, American
Sign Language Laboratory, and the Autism Clinic.
The Speech and Language Pathology program held their first mini-conference presenting the research results of 19 students last Spring. It was well-attended and even the Dean dropped by to review their work.
The Dean attended her first of many to come departmental meetings to become better informed of who we are and what we do.
The template for the departmental website has been developed.
STUDENT AWARDS (4)
Ms. Rachel Jane Kelly received a nomination for the 2011 John Lynn Bailey Human Services Award for her outstanding academic performance and service on-campus and in the surrounding community while enrolled in the
Orientation and Mobility program.
Ms. Kristi Sitton-Furnival was selected to receive the Elnita O.Stanley Scholarship from the SFASU Speech-
Language Pathology Program and the Marilyn Odom Outstanding Graduate Student Award for her exceptional academic achievements.
Ms. Janessa Stewart was selected to receive the East Texas Regional Speech Language Hearing Association
Scholarship from the SFASU Speech-Language Pathology Program for her outstanding leadership and dedication to service in the NSSHLA chapter here at SFASU.
Ms. Megan Wiggins was selected to receive the Gilbert C. Hanke Scholarship from the SFASU Speech-
Language Pathology Program for her strong clinical skills and performance as a practitioner.
GRANTS (8)
The Orientation and Mobility program , under the leadership of Mr. Bob Bryant , received a $500,000 grant from the US Department of Education-Rehabilitation Services Administration. This grant provides $100,000 per year through 2014. This funding is critical for SFA to continue its long standing tradition of training undergraduate and graduate students to work with persons who are blind or have vision impairments.
The Vision Impaired program , under the leadership of Dr. Dixie Mercer , continues to be the recipient of a grant,
$487,000 annually, funded by the Texas Education Agency through the Texas School for the Blind and Visually
Impaired to train t4eachers of the visually impaired and orientation and mobility specialists. Approximately 70% of the funds are budgeted to pay tuition and fees for students. The grant allocation begin since 2003.
Dr. Robert Choate received a 5-year (2010—2015) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation
Services Administration ($750,000) for his work in providing counseling services to rural client populations.

Dr. Ginger Kelso received two mini-grants for her projects: The Effects of Brain Gym on Academic Engagement for
Children with Disabilities ($975); and, Relationships among Adaptive Behavior, Story Inferences, and Problem-
Solving ($529).
Under the leadership of Dr. Melanie McGill , eighteen (18) students in the Special Education Program received
$29,000 in tuition assistance and resident teacher stipends during the fall and spring semesters from the State of
Texas Special Education Recruitment and Retention Grant .
Over the past 4 years this project has provided a total of
$137,000 in support to SFA students.
Ms. Lydia Richardson , the Clinic Director in Speech and Language Pathology, was the recipient of a Texas Speech
Language Hearing Association (TSHA) Regional Seminar Grant in the amount of $1,000. Awards were distributed at the TSHA Annual Business Meeting at the TSHA Convention in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Bill Weber completed a contract with the state vocational rehabilitation program, Department of Assistive and
Rehabilitative Services (DARS), to become a community rehabilitation program. As a result, he received a federal stimulus grant ($118,709) that paid a number of graduate rehabilitation counseling students to provide job search assistance to DARS clients.
Dr. Dixie Mercer and Mr. Barry H. Stafford provided two weeks of training in Grenada in June. Dr. Mercer and a former SFA graduate, Alyssa Gaalema, wrote and obtained a Peace Corp mini grant to provide training to teachers in visual impairment and orientation and mobility.
FACULTY SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY (7)
Drs. Nagalapura Viswanath and Christine Bergan served on the College of Education Curriculum Committee .
Dr. Ginger Kelso is our elected representative on the College of Education Unit Oversight Committee—Initial .
Ms. J. Lindsey Kennon s erved on a sub-committee of the PEC ( Professional Educators’ Council – formerly
TEC
) to discuss the possibility of a policy change to require a grade of “C” or better in certain courses prior to being admitted/cleared to student teach. At April’s Council meeting, it was discussed that a trend is being noticed with students struggling or not passing their student teaching semester. Many of these students were found to have earned a minimal grade of a “D” in their internship(s).
Dr. Glen McCuller was elected our departmental representative on the COE Dean’s Advisory/College Council .
Drs. Paige Mask, Carol Harrison, and Ms. Lindsey Kennon served on the Professional Education Council .
Dr. Le’Ann Solmonson served as the Faculty Chair for the University Service Learning Advisory Board . She also was elected to the Texas Counseling Association Board of Directors.
Dr. Robbie J. Steward served as a member of the University Teaching Excellence Award Committee , the Policy
Committee, and the Professional Education Council.
FACULTY HONORS/AWARDS (11)
Dr. Christine Bergan was the recipient of the 1 st American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
Award for Continuing Education (ACE) , which is noted as an outstanding accomplishment in her Award letter.
Commitment to continued education is necessary for us to stay abreast of the most cutting issues in our disciplines.
Doing so is always commendable. She was also selected by the Council on Academic Accreditation in
Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology for the 2011-2014 term. The responsibilities include evaluation of speech-language pathology graduate programs across the nation. This selection is based on her prior experience in accreditation activities and special expertise.

Dr. Paige Mask received an Award for Outstanding Excellence in Online Education Award from the Office of
Instructional Technology based on evidence of excellence in the design and delivery of an online course. The award includes paid travel and registration to attend a professional development event related to distance education.
Dr. Wendy Killam was appointed to serve as a 2010-2011 Kiwanis Club of Nacogdoches Board member. The mission of the Kiwanis Club is to help children grow, which is a commitment of our collective disciplines. Dr.
Killam’s honor was confirmed during the Installation Banquet, September 23, 2010. She was also appointed as co-chair of the Association for Adult Development and Aging (AADA) Strategic Planning Committee and appointed to the Ethics Committee for the Texas Counseling Association .
Dr. Judith Lauter, in School Psychology and Speech and Language Pathology, received her 10 year pin acknowledging her long-term commitment and service to SFASU.
Dr. Paige Mask was promoted and received tenure as Associate Professor in Special Education .
Dr. Nagalapura Viswanath was promoted to Professor in Speech and Language Pathology. He was also granted a
2 nd Award for Continuing Education (ACE) by The Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-
Language-Haring Association (ASHA) Award recipients meet the requirement of the ACE by earning seven
ASHA Continuing Education Units in a 36-month period. Dr. Viswanath joins a select group of individuals who have made a concerted, personal effort to continue professional learning beyond an academic degree.
Dr. Robbie J. Steward , the Department Chair, was granted tenure .
Dr. Dixie Mercer and Mr. Barry Stafford , our representatives from the Visually Impaired and Orientation &
Mobility programs, were invited to travel to Grenada for service delivery and recruitment this summer.
Dr. Chris Ninness, in School Psychology, received his pin acknowledging 20 years as a Lumberjack.
Chuck Lopez , the Director of Disability Services, ADA Coordinator, and the husband of our very own Angie
Lopez, who periodically serves as adjunct faculty in the Counseling program successfully completed his dissertation oral Friday, 02/11/2011 !
PUBLICATIONS (8)
Bergan, Christine . “Motor Learning Principles and Vocal Pedagogy: Theory and Practice” (March/April 2010).
Journal of Singing.
Lawson, D. M., & Malnar, S. G.
(2011). Interpersonal problems as a mediator between attachment and intimacy partner violence. Journal of Family Violence , DOI: 10.1007/s10896-011-9376-2.
Mask, P., Solmonson, L., Welsh, K. A. (2011). A second longitudinal snapshot of RTI implementation in Texas elementary schools. The National Social Science Journal, 35 (2) 112-124.
Mask, P. R., Solmonson, L., & Welsh, K. (2010). Facilitating implementation of an RTI model. The State of
Reading, 13 (1) 17-22.
McGinty, J., Ninness, C., McCuller, G., Rumph, R., Goodwin, A., Kelso, G. L., Lopez, A., & Kelly, E.
(in press).
Training and deriving pre-calculus relations: A small group web-interactive approach. The Psychological Record.
What makes this work even more exceptional is that the list of co-authors includes Jenny McGinty, one of our very own alumni from the graduating class of 2008.
Solmonson, L.
(2010). Developing advocacy skills: A program model . VISTAS 2010, American Counseling
Association. http://counselingoutfitters.com/vistas/vistas10/Article_27.pdf
Solmonson, L., Larson, A., & Mask, P.
(2011). The professional school counselor’s role in working with students with ADHD. School Counseling Research & Practice, 2, 39-44.

Solmonson, L., Roaten, G., & Sawyer, C. (2010). Emerging concerns regarding the hiring practice of school counselors: A delphi study. Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory, and Research, 38 (2) 37-51.
PRESENTATIONS (18)
Ashabranner, K ., Peikert, J., & Rowjee, N. (2011, January 12). Strong Support Groups. Discussion group presentation at the Woodland Heights Medical Center Affinity Center. Nacogdoches, TX.
Bergan, Christine. (2011). Application of the Accent Method to both Healthy and Pathologic Voices. Presented at the Voice Foundation’s 40 th Annual International Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice . This was the fourth consecutive time Dr. Bergan has been chosen to present an oral presentation, a workshop, and/or a poster.
Bradley, C ., Kelso, G.L
., McCuller, G.L.
Staley, J., & Kyle, B . (2011, May). Teaching generalized worker identification skills to an individual with autism . Presented at the Annual Association for Behavior Analysis
International Conference, Denver, CO.
Kelso, G.L. McCuller, G.L., Bradley, C., Kyle, B., & Staley, J . (2011, May). Methods to teach price identification to an individual with autism . Presented at the Annual Association for Behavior Analysis International
Conference, Denver, CO.
Killam, W. K.
(June, 2011). Using puppets to assist non-verbal Children to Express Emotion. Symposium presentation at The National Conference on Innovative Counseling Strategies, San Antonio, TX.
Killam, W. K.
(May 2011).
Individual Rights versus General Welfare: Ethical Dilemmas in
College Counseling, Paper presented at the Texas College Counseling Association Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
Killam, W. K.
(November, 2010). Basic Stress Management for Counselors.
Paper presentation at the Texas
Counseling Association, Austin, TX.
Killam, W. K.
(July, 2010). Finding Meaning in Older Adulthood, Symposium presentation at the Association for
Adult Development and Aging, National Conference, New York, NY.
Malnar, S.G., Kellum, M., Lawson, D. M., & Magar, R . (April, 2011). Therapeutic alliance, Interpersonal problems, and treatment outcome in abuse-related post-traumatic stress.
Presented at the Annual Conference for the Southwestern Psychological Association, San Antonio, TX.
Larson, A.L. & Choate, R.O.
(2011). The Able Privilege Scale: Measuring social structures while changing attitudes.
Presented at the National Rehabilitation Educators Conference, April 4-8, Manhatten Beach, CA.
Lauter, J. L. (October, 2010). The Zebra Brain: Developing a new brain-based vocabulary on individual differences to enhance communication among professionals.
Symposium presentation at the Consortium of State
Organizations for Texas Teacher Education, Houston, TX.
McCuller, G.L., Kelso, G.L., Bradley, C., Staley, J. &Kyle, B . (2011, May). Teaching tax estimation to an individual with autism.
Presented at the Annual Association for Behavior Analysis International Conference,
Denver, CO.
Mercer, D., Stafford, B. H., & Munro, M . (2011). The Impact of Communications Devices on Instructional
Distances between instructor and Student. Presented at the Conference Planning Committee for the Penn-Del
Chapter of Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), Grantville,PA.
Mercer, D., & Wilkes, E. (2011). The affects of active learning on bio-behavior states of students with visual and multiple impairments.
Presented at the Annual Texas Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Conference, Dallas, TX.

Mercer, D., & Wilkes, E. (2011).
A longitudinal study of the impact of using Dr. Lilli Nielsen’s Little Room on the bio-behavioral states of students with severe multiple impairments including vision. Presented at the Conference
Planning Committee for the Penn-Del Chapter of Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and
Visually Impaired (AER), Grantville,PA.
Ninness, C., Kelso, G. L., Barnes-Homes. D., Rumph, R., Kelly. E., Staley, J., & McCuller, G. L.
(2011, May).
Been wrong so long it looks right to me: Training multivariate and neural network relations . Presented at the 37th
Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Annual Convention, Denver, CO.
Rumph, R . (2011). The Past is Present. Presented in a symposium of the History and Future of the Texas
Association for Behavior Analysis at the 25 th annual conference of the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis.
Galveston, Texas.
Rumph, R., Kelly, E., Holland, J. Koltonski, S., Ninness, C., McCuller, G., Kelso, G. Rumph, M. (2011 ). No
Child Left Behind Ten Years After: What Do We Know?
Paper presented at the 37 th Annual conference of the
Association for Behavior Analysis, Denver, Co.