Faculty highlight part-time speech‑language program, student diversity and conference awards

Nicole Bing, an associate professor in the Department of Communication Disorders, told the Governors State University Board of Trustees that the department is the only program in Illinois offering a part‑time path to degree completion for speech‑language pathology and that the graduate program has a diverse student body.

"We are the only university in the state of Illinois to have a part time option to program completion," Bing said. She said the department enrolls both full‑time and part‑time students, provides full‑time clinical training and that 55 percent of the graduate students are from underrepresented backgrounds. Bing said the department intentionally supports recruitment and retention through initiatives including SIERRA (Supporting Inclusion and Equity in Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement of BIPOC students) and a local chapter of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association.

Bing described the department’s recent participation in the 2025 Illinois Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ISHA) conference, where faculty and students presented on inclusion and equity work supported in part by a university Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mini‑grant. She said 11 students attended under a "bring a friend" initiative that paired BIPOC students with allies to participate in the conference experience.

Bing also said students from Governors State competed on student day as the "Jaguar Gems" and won the knowledge bowl against teams from other schools. "They showed up. They lit up the place. They sparkled," she said of the students who competed.

Why this matters: The program’s part‑time pathway and active diversity work increase access to graduate training in a field noted for limited diversity, and the conference participation showcased student professional development.

What happened next: Trustees thanked Bing for the update and expressed pride in the students’ achievements.