College of Health and Human Services
www.wmich.edu/hhs
(269) 387-7367
Leadership
Dean
Associate Dean
Earlie Washington
Richard Long
Departments
Chairs/Directors
Blindness and Low Vision Studies
Center for Disability Services/Unified Clinics
Holistic Health
Bronson School of Nursing
Occupational Therapy
Physician Assistant
School of Social Work
Specialty Program, Alcohol/Drug Abuse
Speech Pathology & Audiology
Interdisciplinary Health Studies
Interdisciplinary Health Services
Statistics
Enrollment, Fall 2010
Undergraduate
Graduate
Total
2,129
760
2,889
Minority students
Minority student %
International students
529
18%
14
James Leja (james.leja@wmich.edu)
Carol Sundberg (carol.sundberg@wmich.edu)
Gay Walker, Graduate Coordinator (gay.walker@wmich.edu)
Linda Zoeller (linda.zoeller@wmich.edu)
Joseph M. Pellerito (joseph.m.pellerito@wmich.edu)
Eric Vangsnes, (eric.vangsnes@wmich.edu)
Linwood Cousins (linwood.cousins@wmich.edu)
C. Dennis Simpson (c.dennis.simpson@wmich.edu)
Ann Tyler (ann.tyler@wmich.edu)
Nickola Wolf Nelson (nickola.nelson@wmich.edu)
Doris Ravotas (doris.ravotas@wmich.edu)
Degrees Awarded, 2009-10
Bachelor’s
Master’s
Doctoral
322
282
17
Total
621
Total Alumni
15,499
Faculty/Staff, Fall 2009
Full-time faculty
Faculty chairs
Part-time faculty
Adjuncts/visiting professors
Graduate assistants
Regular staff
Grants, 2009-10
Number of grants received
Value of grants received
earlie.washington@wmich.edu
richard.long@wmich.edu
89
6
60
14
50
43
17
$3,436,375
College of Health and Human Services Fast Facts
•
U.S. News & World Report ranks CHHS’ occupational therapy, physician assistant, and speech
pathology graduate programs among the top 50 programs of their kind in the nation.
Rehabilitation counseling, social work and audiology are also ranked among the best graduate
schools in the nation.
•
Academic programs are housed in a high-tech building that facilitates progressive methods of
teaching, learning and research. It is the first building in Southwest Michigan to meet
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) standards,
and its 2009 gold-level certification distinguishes it as the most highly rated higher education
building in the United States.
•
Through CHHS affiliates—the Unified Clinics and the Center for Disability Services—students
practice clinical skills and a broad population of community members receive specialized
health care. These enterprises serve 1,800 patients per week in over 80,000 appointments
annually.
•
The Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies is the oldest and largest—and regarded
as one of the best programs of its kind—in the world. Faculty members are engaged in
groundbreaking national research on safety issues related to quiet cards and traffic roundabouts,
which impact the safety of persons with blindness and low vision.
•
The Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology (SPPA) was one of the nation’s earliest
clinics for the study and treatment of speech disorders and the preparation of speech therapists.
Its founder Dr. Charles Van Riper was a pioneer in the field, known worldwide for his
innovative treatment for stuttering. The SPPA graduate program, currently ranked 38th in the
nation, was the first in Michigan and one of the first six in the nation to gain accreditation.
•
WMU's Holistic Health Care Program is one of only four similar programs in the country and
offers both an undergraduate minor and graduate certificate which foster “holism” within health
care and across other disciplines.
•
The college’s occupational therapy department is the first and oldest non-teacher education
program at WMU—its founding in 1922 initiated Western’s expansion from a teachers’ college
to a comprehensive institution of higher learning—and the highest ranking occupational
therapy program in Michigan by US News &World Report, 2008.
•
CHHS’ physician assistant program is the first to be established with legislative approval and
funding appropriation in Michigan and has one of the highest pass rates in the country for its
national licensure exam.
•
The School of Social Work’s Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare has served the profession
for 35 years, reaching national and international audiences through subscriptions and digital
data base access.
•
Established in 1973, the Specialty Program in Alcohol and Drug Abuse was the first of its kind
in Michigan and the first university-based training clinic in Michigan to address the criminal
justice population of substance abusers.