Tag: graduate programs

Spalding University’s Festival of Contemporary Writing, the state’s largest fall-spring reading series, will take place Saturday, Nov. 13, through Friday, Nov. 19, with readings by faculty and guests of the low-residency graduate programs of Spalding’s School of Creative and Professional Writing. Critically acclaimed poet Kiki Petrosino, author of White Blood and winner of the Spalding Prize for the Promotion of Peace and Justice in Literature, headlines the festival as Distinguished Visiting Writer.

All readings and events are free, ticketless, and open to the public. The University’s Covid-19 protocols require all participants to be masked while indoors. Plenty of free parking is available for the campus readings.

6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 13. Faculty Reading. (Brown Hotel, Citation Room, ground floor.) Masks required for all in attendance.

• Lynnell Edwards (poetry), This Great Green Valley
• Rachel Harper (fiction), This Side of Providence
• Bruce Marshall Romans (TV writing), Messiah
• Ellen Hagan (writing for children and young adults), Watch Us Rise (with Renée
  Watson)
• Kathleen Driskell (poetry), Blue Etiquette

SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Overview | MFA in Writing | MA in Writing | Grad Certificate in Writing
Faculty bios
Good River Review literary journal | blog

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Sunday, November 14. Faculty Reading. (Egan Leadership Center, 901 S. Fourth St.) Masks required for all in attendance.

• K. L. Cook (fiction), Marrying Kind
• Kira Obolensky (playwriting), Why We Laugh: A Terezin Cabaret
• Dianne Aprile (creative nonfiction), The Eye is Not Enough: On Seeing and Remembering
• Leah Henderson (writing for children and young adults), A Day for Rememberin’ (virtual appearance)
• Sam Zalutsky (screenwriting), Seaside

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 17. Distinguished Visiting Writer Kiki Petrosino discusses White Blood: A Lyric of Virginia. (Auditorium, Columbia Gym, 824 S. Fourth St.) Masks required for all in attendance.

Introduction by Kathleen Driskell. Book signing to follow.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Friday, November 19. Faculty Reading. (Egan Leadership Center, 901 S. Fourth St.)  Masks required for all in attendance.

• Jason Kyle Howard (professional writing and editing; creative nonfiction), A Few Honest Words: The Kentucky Roots of Popular Music
• Maggie Smith (poetry), Goldenrod
• Elaine Neil Orr (creative nonfiction; fiction), Swimming Between Worlds
• Silas House (fiction), Southernmost

The reading schedule may change without notice. Check Facebook for updated information: Facebook.com/SpaldingSchoolofWriting. For more information, email [email protected].

The School of Creative and Professional Writing at Spalding University offers three low-residency programs, including the flagship 65-credit-hour MFA in Writing program; a 35-credit Master of Arts in Writing, offering tracks in creative writing and professional writing & editing; and a 15-credit graduate certificate in writing, also with two tracks. The School of Writing offers concentrations in fiction; poetry; creative nonfiction; writing for children and young adults; writing for TV, screen, and stage; and professional writing and editing. Students begin the semester in the spring, summer, or fall with a residency in Louisville or abroad, then return home for an independent study with a faculty mentor for the rest of the semester. Students may customize the location, season, and pace of their studies. See spalding.edu/writing for more information, or find us on Twitter @SpaldingWriting

During National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September, the administration, faculty and staff of the Spalding University School of Nursing unanimously took a meaningful step toward equipping themselves to address the most serious of mental health crises.

All 20 employees within the School of Nursing became certified in the suicide prevention method known as QPR, or Question, Persuade, and Refer.

Spalding Associate Professor Dr. Erica Lemberger, who helped organize the initiative among her colleagues, said she thinks Spalding is likely the first school of nursing in the state to have 100 percent of faculty, staff, administration and students trained in QPR. Spalding nursing students have for years already been receiving training to become QPR gatekeepers as part of their mental health curriculum.

Lemberger is the Co-Chair of the Behavioral Health Committee of the Louisville Health Advisory Board, which has a goal of increasing education in the public about suicide prevention, particularly during this time of stress, trauma and anxiety caused by the pandemic. Nurses working on the front lines have been especially vulnerable.

Lemberger decided the first step she should personally take would be to spread the word within her own professional community at Spalding. She proposed to her colleagues a goal of 100 percent QPR training among themselves in the School of Nursing.

“I gave this proposal so that we could be that light to recognize those individuals who are at risk for suicide,” Lemberger said. “It could be your parent, your sibling, your coworker, your student, you neighbor. It could be anyone. As nurses, because we have increased clinical demands and a difficult work environment and workforce stress, nursing and nurses’ mental health are all related. I thought, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s get 100 percent. Let’s be all in.'”

SPALDING UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING
Overview | BSN | Accelerated BSN | RN-to-BSN online | MSN | DNP
Faculty Bios

Every School of Nursing employee took part in the free virtual QPR training offered by the Louisville chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which is a partner of the Louisville Health Advisory Board.

“Spalding University faculty members are dedicated to the mental health improvement of the community, and one of the steps in the process is being prepared to support and address mental health issues,” said Dr. Lana Watson, Chair of the School of Nursing. “Completing this training provides faculty the tools needed to save a life of someone considering suicide. The training is open to those interested, and we encourage anyone who would like to complete the training to contact NAMI to complete this free training!”

Lemberger, who is a certified QPR instructor, said she hopes other academic and support departments and student organizations on campus will follow the School of Nursing’s example and work to get all their members trained in QPR. She encourages any department to contact her or visit the NAMI Louisville website. Counseling and Psychology Services Director Dr. Allison From-Tapp has also offered training to the campus community.

“You can be the person to save a life; that’s a really big deal,” Lemberger said. “You don’t have to have a nursing degree to know how to save a life; anyone can save a life. You just have to be able to identify the risk factors, know how to ask the questions, know how to persuade someone to get help and know who to refer someone to get help.”

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) has been awarded a grant from the Wallace Foundation worth up to $8.2 million over five years to help develop and support equity-centered school leaders, the school district announced Wednesday, and Spalding University’s College of Education will be a partner in training those leaders.

JCPS was one of only eight districts nationally awarded funds from the Wallace Foundation’s Equity Centered Pipeline Initiative. The grant will provide professional learning opportunities, mentorship and programming to strengthen the leadership pipeline for school principals with a focus on equity.

“This grant offers us the tremendous opportunity to develop and support principal candidates ‘on the bench’ as well as those new to their positions,” JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said. “We know that effective principals have a strong, positive influence on students and schools, impacting student achievement across an entire school. Having a comprehensive, aligned principal pipeline will produce  leaders who can help bring our district’s vision of equity to fruition.”

As it relates to Spalding, the Wallace grant will support the College of Education’s JCPS-focused Aspiring Leaders principal preparation program, which launched in 2020-21 and is now on its second cohort.

JCPS will receive $1.79 million in each of the first two years of the grant. If the grants are successfully renewed in years 3-5, the district would receive a total of $8.2 million.

Funding from the grant will create the Jefferson County Leadership Academy (JCLA), which will offer aspiring administrators workshops and programming to introduce them to the duties and expectations of an assistant principal and principal, along with mentoring and internship opportunities. In addition, JCLA will provide executive coaching sessions for current administrators.

SPALDING COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
*Overview | BS in Education | MA in Teaching | MEd in Teacher Leadership | MEd in Instructional Leadership | MA in School Counseling | EdD: Leadership | Rank I Certification
*Faculty Bios
* Related | JCPS Aspiring Leaders providing ‘invaluable’ training to future principals

JCPS will partner with Spalding, the University of Louisville and the Kentucky Department of Education to provide certification programs, professional development and mentoring based on equity-centered leadership to new and aspiring principals.

“Spalding University and its College of Education are proud to be partners with JCPS in developing equity-centered leaders in our public schools, and we are grateful for the Wallace Foundation for investing in this meaningful work,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “The grant from the Wallace Foundation will support ongoing work to further embed equity-centered leadership within all aspects of Spalding’s Aspiring Leaders principal preparation program, including its curriculum, assessments and clinical field experiences. This work goes hand in hand with the Spalding mission of compassion and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

In addition, Spalding is continuing work with the JCPS Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Division to refine a leadership equity screener that requires Aspring Leaders candidates to reflect on and demonstrate equity-centered leadership. The Spalding School of Social Work will also be providing cultural humility training for the Aspiring Leaders candidates with an emphasis on restorative practices and leadership, said Dr. Glenn Baete, Director of Advanced Programs in the College of Education.

“Through our collaboration with JCPS to provide the Aspiring Leaders Program to JCPS teacher leaders seeking administrative certification, the College of Education is committed to developing equity-centered learners,” Baete said. “The Wallace Foundation grant will help us deepen and accelerate that work.”

The Wallace Foundation works nationally to foster equity and improvements in learning and enrichment for young people, and in the arts for everyone.

“Spalding University’s College of Education is excited for the opportunity to work in partnership with so many wonderful local, state and national groups to strengthen P-12 school leadership for the ultimate benefit of children in Louisville,” said Dr. Kristen Harris, Chair of the School of Education.

Video from March 2020, announcing Spalding-JCPS Aspiring Leaders program:

The 2021 Spalding Prize for the Promotion of Peace and Justice in Literature is awarded to Kiki Petrosino for her newest poetry collection, White Blood: A Lyric of Virginia. The Spalding Prize was established by the School of Creative and Professional Writing at Spalding University to honor a work of literature that exemplifies the University’s mission and the School’s core commitment to compassion. The $7,500 prize will be awarded in November during Petrosino’s visit to the School of Writing, home of the nationally distinguished low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program.

In a public presentation, Petrosino will speak about White Blood, which also won the 2021 Rilke Prize from the University of North Texas. Published by Sarabande Books in 2020, White Blood takes on the subject of Petrosino’s ancestral roots, along with the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination in Virginia.

The public is invited to attend Petrosino’s reading and presentation at 5:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 17, in the Egan Leadership Center’s Troutman Lectorium, 901 S. Fourth St. A book-signing will follow the presentation. The event is free and ticketless, and ample free parking is available on Spalding’s campus.

School of Writing chair Kathleen Driskell says, “We’ve admired Kiki Petrosino’s work since her debut collection, Fort Red Border, was published in 2009, and her newest poetry collection, White Blood, is a timely marvel, resonant and inventive. We’re happy to honor Kiki and her beautiful work, and we look forward to her visit to our Spalding residency this November to accept the Spalding Prize.”

SPALDING’S SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING

• MFA in Writing program overview
• MA in Writing program overview
• Faculty bios
• Why serious writers choose Spalding

A review by Katie Berta in Harvard Review Online notes that the book “blends the techniques of documentary poetics, erasure, persona, and traditional lyric to document and personalize the ways that descendants of enslaved people attempt to reconnect with their family histories—only to be thwarted by the persistent effects of racist policy and violence. The collection has a searching, yearning momentum that is cut by the wry intellect of a speaker who knows her pursuit of historical meaning remains subject to the same colonial forces that influenced the lives of her ancestors.”

Petrosino holds graduate degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Her poems and essays have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Best American Poetry, The Nation, The New York Times, FENCE, Gulf Coast, jubilat, Tin House and online at Ploughshares. She teaches at the University of Virginia as a Professor of Poetry. She is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Fellowship in Creative Writing from the National Endowment for the Arts, and an Al Smith Fellowship Award from the Kentucky Arts Council, as well as the UNT Rilke Prize.

Her appearance headlines Spalding University’s Festival of Contemporary Writing, the state’s largest fall-spring reading series. The festival features readings Nov. 9-17 by faculty and alumni of Spalding’s low-residency graduate writing programs.

GOOD RIVER REVIEW | School of Writing’s literary review

Presented annually to a book, play, screenplay, or body of work, the Spalding Prize for the Promotion of Peace and Justice in Literature awards $7,500 to the author of the honored work. Spalding School of Writing faculty members nominate literary works to be considered for the award, but members of the reading community may also make nominations by sending a copy of the book, playscript, or screenplay no later than October 1 of each year to:

The Spalding Prize for the Promotion of Peace and Justice in Literature
School of Creative and Professional Writing
Spalding University
851 S. Fourth St.
Louisville, KY 40203

Playscripts and screenplays do not need to be published but must have been produced on stage or in film. There is no requirement for the work to have been published recently. The School Chair and Directors make the final decisions on the awardee.

Building on the success of the university’s nationally distinguished MFA in Writing program, the School of Creative and Professional Writing incorporates the MFA program, which focuses exclusively on creative writing, as well as a Master of Arts in Writing program and a graduate certificate in writing, both of which offer tracks in creative and professional writing. Together, the three low-residency programs create a multi-tiered offering for writers seeking graduate education in one, two, or four semesters. More information can be found at spalding.edu/writing.

Spalding University’s entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate program has become the first OTD program in Kentucky to earn full accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

Spalding’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy (ASOT) was notified late last month by ACOTE that the entry-level OTD program has been approved for the next seven years – the maximum period that could be awarded for an initial accreditation. Spalding will seek reaccreditation in 2028.

ACOTE assessed and approved all aspects of Spalding’s three-year entry-level OTD program, including its administrative structure, faculty qualifications, course and curricular content, clinical experiences and capstone experiences.

Spalding’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy has been a leader in Kentucky in preparing occupational therapists since 1995, with its programs consistently accredited by ACOTE. In 2015, ASOT began planning for a new three-year Occupational Therapy Doctorate program to become its primary entry-level degree offering, and it began phasing out its ACOTE-accredited Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program.

AUERBACH SCHOOL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
● OTD overview | Entry-level | Post-professional
● ASOT Faculty Bios | Dr. Story named new Chair

Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy Chair Dr. Sara Story, a longtime faculty member who earned her MSOT from Spalding and participated as a student in the accreditation process of that degree program, said that helping her alma mater achieve the OTD accreditation was “truly an honor.”

“Our faculty members, staff and students are extremely proud to become the first institution in Kentucky to earn ACOTE accreditation for an entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, and I thank them as well as our university administration, our clinical supervisors and our many other community stakeholders for their amazing support,” Dr. Story said. “This accreditation from ACOTE is proof that Spalding’s long history and tradition of excellence in occupational therapy education will continue. ASOT has gone from an entry-level bachelor’s program years ago to a master’s program to now offering the highest-level degree that we can award at the entry level. We have always been a very strong, dedicated school of occupational therapy that is here to serve students, and I think the accrediting officials could see that. Spalding continues to thrive, and students here will thrive.”

Spalding welcomed its first OTD cohort in January 2019, with new cohorts being added each fall and spring trimester while the accreditation process progressed. In line with the timing of the initial accreditation, the first cohort is set to graduate in January 2022. As an ACOTE-accredited program, graduates of Spalding’s entry-level OTD are now eligible to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam.

Dr. Story said she has received feedback that community stakeholders, such as hospital administrators and fieldwork supervisors, who were contacted by ACOTE were high in their praise of Spalding’s students.

The Report of the Accreditation Council listed five strengths of Spalding’s program: administrative support and the university’s mission, the curriculum model, learning experiences in diverse practice areas, the creation of a clear plan for implementation of the doctoral capstone by the doctoral capstone coordinator and faculty, the work of the academic fieldwork coordinator and faculty to create a client-centered approach that garnered community stakeholders’ enthusiastic support of the program.

ACOTE’s complete findings stated, “all standards were found to be compliant based on the review of the materials submitted by the program and the findings of the on-site team.”

Spalding University and all of its academic programs are regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

ACOTE is an additional national accrediting agency specific to occupational therapy programs. ACOTE is an Associated Advisory Council of the Executive Board of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and it is recognized as the accrediting agency for occupational therapy education by both the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. ACOTE currently accredits or is in the process of accrediting nearly 600 occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational programs in the United States and its territories as well as programs in the United Kingdom.

Spalding’s 110-credit-hour entry-level OTD program is completed over three years (nine trimesters) with about 35 students per cohort. More than 96 percent of graduates of the Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy have become employed within six months of graduation. Over the past five years, more than 95 percent have passed the national board certification exams.

For more information about the entry-level OTD and all the programs offered by Spalding’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy, visit spalding.edu/occupational-therapy.

Spalding University, which will begin Fall 2021 classes on Monday, has new faculty chairs leading two of its largest academic schools.

Dr. Svjetlana “Lana” Watson, previously a member of the nursing faculty of Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, is the new Chair of the Spalding University School of Nursing, and Dr. Sara Story has been promoted to the position of Chair of Spalding’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy, where she is a longtime faculty member.

Both Watson and Story officially started their new positions on July 1. They also both hold the title of Associate Professor at Spalding.

Dr. Watson, who will oversee all of Spalding’s undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, spent the past five years as director of the traditional and accelerated tracks of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at IUPUC. There, she developed innovative models for clinical placements and enhancing preceptor training.

“I am excited to join the long tradition of nursing education at Spalding University,” Dr. Watson said. “I feel I was called to accept this position because of Spalding’s dedication to service and its strong relationship with the community it serves. My previous work included growing healthcare access in underserved rural areas through retention efforts of new nurse graduates. Spalding’s strong service focus closely aligns with my personal beliefs and education philosophy. As an educator, I am student-centered and believe with appropriate student support, success is within reach for every student. Growing and improving the program will be my first priority.”

Dr. Watson earned the degrees of BSN, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice from Indiana Wesleyan University. She also taught on the nursing faculty of Spencerian College

Dr. Story has been a full-time member of the Spalding occupational therapy faculty since 2013. She is a Spalding alumna who earned the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Health Science, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, and Doctor of Education (EdD) in Leadership from the university. She also holds an Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) from the University of St. Augustine.

Dr. Story will oversee Spalding’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate programs, which are among the largest graduate programs on campus, as well as its certificate program in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation. In addition, the Kosair Charities Enabling Technologies of Kentuckiana assistive technology resource center, also known as enTECH, is a division of ASOT that is under Story’s leadership.

Dr. Story enjoys using 3D printing to develop inexpensive assistive technology devices that aid clients of all ages in carrying out everyday tasks. Dr. Story is board-certified in gerontology through the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) through the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Like Watson, Dr. Story is also an accomplished scholar and researcher who frequently presents at professional conferences and publishes scholarly articles.

“I am excited and honored to serve as Chair of the Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy at Spalding and to take on this leadership role with such a dynamic faculty,” Dr. Story said. “Spalding is my alma mater, and ASOT has been a leader in occupational therapy education and research for years in this region, preparing hundreds of skilled, compassionate therapists. I am proud to work with devoted faculty who inspire students to grow and continue Spalding’s mission to meet the needs of the times.”

Dillon named Communication Interim Chair: Spalding also announces that Dr. Pattie Dillon, who is the Chair of the School of Liberal Studies, will also serve as Interim Chair of the School of Communication for the 2021-22 academic year. Dillon is a professor of history who has served as Faculty Senate President and Faculty Trustee.

NEW PROGRAM DIRECTORS

In addition to the new Chairs, Spalding has had three faculty members step into new leadership roles as academic program directors for the 2021-22 academic year.

They are: Dr. Leslie Cairo, who will direct the Master of Social Work program; Dr. Nikki Jones, Doctor of Social Work program; and Professor Charles Maynard, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program.

The families of 13 children received life-changing pieces of assistive technology on Tuesday during another joyful Kosair Charities enTECH Day of Celebration at Spalding University.

Participating families of children who face cognitive challenges and physical differences applied for the devices through Spalding’s Kosair Charities Enabling Technologies of Kentuckiana (enTECH), assistive technology resource center and its Kosair Charities Lending Library and Financial Assistance Program.

There was no shortage of smiles as Kosair Charities President Keith Inman handed out the assistive technology devices to the children and their families, most of whom would not have been able to purchase the equipment on their own or through their health insurance.

The devices included Apple iPads and Pencils, an interactive printer, a swing, eye gaze applications, and switch toys. They will provide therapeutic, educational and sensory benefits and will help the children with communication, speech and play.

“Ninety-eight years ago, Kosair Charities was created for one reason, and that was to help children overcome  obstacles and reach their full potential,” Inman said. “I am loving the laughter I hear today, because this is what it is all about it. That is what happens here at enTECH. Miracles happen here. … I want to thank Spalding for all you do. It’s easy to love this place. This is the best day of my year.”

EnTECH, which is a division of Spalding’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy, has increased its therapy staff in recent months and now has speech therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists ready to provide services and introduce young clients to the center’s array of assistive technology.

Learn more about enTECH’s services and staff at entech.spalding.edu.

“Having enTECH here at Spalding truly lives out our mission, and it allows us therapists to students from our (occupational therapy doctorate) program as well as the children that we serve thrive and meet the goals they have to engage in life to its fullest,” Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy Chair Dr. Sara Story said. “We’re excited for this Christmas in July opportunity and to have our therapists be able to come alongside these families and fulfill our mission.”

• AUERBACH SCHOOL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY | OTD program overview

The Kosair Charities enTECH Day of Celebration was the latest memorable occasion in a 25-year philanthropic partnership between Kosair Charities and Spalding. Kosair Charities has supported a range of capital projects and academic programs and initiatives at Spalding that will positively impact children and pediatric healthcare.

Just last week, Kosair Charities announced a $2 million grant in support of the new Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education at Spalding.

Kosair Charities announced Wednesday that it has awarded a grant of $2 million to Spalding University in support of its new School of Physical Therapy and the ongoing project to transform a campus building into a state-of-the-art health professions academic center that will house the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. That building will now bear Kosair Charities’ name.

The 21,500-square-foot building located at 961 S. Third St. will be named the Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education, Spalding announced. The technology-rich facility will be the site of the laboratory courses for Spalding’s new DPT program, which will admit its first cohort in Fall 2022. The building will also feature spaces for student study and collaboration.

The major grant, which was announced a press conference Wednesday, continues a 25-year philanthropic relationship between Kosair Charities and Spalding in support of academic programs and facilities – particularly in healthcare – that are designed to make a positive impact on the lives of children and families.

Consistent with the mission of Kosair Charities, the School of Physical Therapy will feature programming and partnerships that emphasize a commitment to pediatric physical therapy while seeking to help fill a regional need for physical therapists. Among the highlights:

• Planned post-professional residency and fellowship in pediatric PT that are unique to Kentucky, led by faculty who are board-certified in pediatric physical therapy.
• Mentoring opportunities in teaching, provided by veteran faculty, for interested physical therapists, including ones in post-doctoral pediatric neurorecovery fellowships.
• Opportunities for physical therapy program graduates to become board-certified pediatric physical therapists.

“Kosair Charities’ history and mission has long been interwoven into the fabric of Spalding University, with our first grant in 1996. We are thrilled to announce a grant totaling $2 million to support the newly named Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education at Spalding University,” said Keith Inman, President of Kosair Charities. “A portion of these funds will allow the creation of Kentucky’s first residency and fellowship programs in pediatric physical therapy. Kosair Charities is proud to be a part of this milestone moment for our state and community.”

KOSAIR CHARITIES SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
Doctor of Physical Therapy Program | Overview | Entry-level track | Post-professional track
From May 2021 | Announcement of the new School of Physical Therapy 

Spalding’s DPT program has already been approved by the university’s regional accrediting body – the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) – and is seeking to become the fourth DPT program in Kentucky to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Student applications are open now for Fall 2022, with more information available at spalding.edu/physicaltherapy.

Construction on the Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and Center for Interprofessional Education is scheduled to be completed by late 2021.

“We are grateful and honored to receive this grant from Kosair Charities in support of the new School of Physical Therapy and the construction of a state-of-the-art building that will enhance teaching and learning while also supporting a campus-wide culture of interprofessional education and collaboration,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “The service-minded missions of Spalding and Kosair Charities align so well, and the long, strong relationship Spalding has had with Kosair Charities is so valuable to us. We are extremely proud to have another building on our campus bear the name of Kosair Charities, whose impact on our community and the lives of children cannot be overstated.

“We hope and expect that a great deal of the students who come to our PT school will stay in Louisville after graduation to practice here, including many who will pursue a pediatric specialty. Our new PT school will also create mentoring opportunities for pediatric PTs to become professors, enhancing pediatric PT education in our region for years to come.”

BUILDING DETAILS

The purchase and renovation of the building – which was acquired by Spalding in 2019 and is well-known in Louisville as the former longtime home of the V.V. Cooke Chevrolet dealership – represent one of the largest capital projects in Spalding history, totaling about $7 million. The newly renovated building expands a Spalding health professions corridor along South Third Street that already includes the Kosair Charities College of Health and Natural Sciences Building, 901 S. Third (home of the occupational therapy, athletic training and natural sciences programs), and the Republic Bank Academic Center, 981 S. Third (nursing and social work).

The building will feature three skills labs for on-site laboratory instruction as well as an anatomy education center with an anatomy wet lab and accompanying dry lab featuring models and technology for virtual anatomy instruction.

An atrium with natural light coming through the tall windows along Third Street will provide collaborative and lounge space for students. Another student lounge will be upstairs.

Schaefer Construction is the general contractor for the project. Schmidt Associates is the architecture partner. Spalding continues to raises funds to cover capital costs.

“We cannot thank Kosair Charities enough for their support of this first-class healthcare academic center in downtown Louisville,” Spalding Chief Advancement Officer Caroline Heine said. “Kosair Charities continues to help Spalding carry out its mission of meeting the needs of the times by preparing compassionate, skilled therapists and healthcare professionals, and we hope others will follow their lead in supporting this important work.”

CENTER FOR INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

The location of the building between other health science centers on campus, along with its technology resources, makes it an ideal location to be the future center of Spalding’s initiative to expand interprofessional education (IPE) across its academic healthcare disciplines.

The new anatomy labs are expected to be used by students and faculty from science programs across the university, and Spalding expects to use the new building to host collaborative IPE student experiential learning activities.

“In real healthcare settings, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, social workers and mental health professionals work side by side every day,” McClure said. “At Spalding, we are committed to introducing our students to those interprofessional experiences as a part of our teaching, with a common thread of emphasizing compassion, equity and justice in healthcare.”

Spalding University has once again received a grant of more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support advanced-level psychology and social work students who provide behavioral health services in integrated primary care settings in medically underserved areas of Louisville.

The $1,048,827 grant, which comes via the federal Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) program, will fund stipends over four years to Spalding students pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology (PsyD) or a master’s degree in social work (MSW). It continues BHWET support that Spalding has received since 2017 through the university’s Interdisciplinary Behavioral Health Scholars Program. The stipends assist in the recruitment and retention of future behavioral health professionals who do their training work in medically underserved areas.

Over the four-year cycle, a total of 36 Spalding PsyD and MSW students will provide assessments, counseling, addiction therapy and a range of other services at five Louisville health and wellness sites that also provide primary medical care. In addition to providing in-person services, the program aims to train students in and familiarize patients with the use of telehealth.

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Program Overviews – BSSW | MSW | DSW
Social work faculty bios

The practicum and fieldwork sites partnering with Spalding are Family Health Centers’ Iroquois, Portland and Southwest branches; the Shawnee Christian Healthcare Center; and the Smoketown Family Wellness Center. These sites also provide pediatric services and support at-risk youth, which is a focus of the Spalding program. The sites are located in parts of the community that have a shortage of behavioral health providers.

SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Program Overviews | BA in Psychology | PsyD
Psychology faculty bios
Explore the PsyD program

School of Professional Psychology Professor Dr. Steve Katsikas, who will continue to direct the project on behalf of Spalding, said the university’s HRSA BHWET grant “represents an incredible investment in the future workforce that will have immediate and long-term benefits to Louisville and surrounding areas.”

“The majority of health conditions that impact people have a behavioral component, including smoking, diabetes, asthma, substance misuse, COPD, obesity and chronic pain,” Katsikas said. “Professionals working as a part of an integrated team can help prevent or address these and other concerns in a setting that is accessible and familiar to patients. We are thrilled to be able to support these students in their training and bring healing and help to our community.”

School of Professional Psychology Chair Dr. Brenda Nash said integrated primary care (IPC) settings are projected to be a “major avenue of practice for psychologists in the near future.” The training opportunities provided by the BHWET-supported project will make Spalding PsyD students more competitive for IPC internships and, ultimately, those emerging jobs, she said.

Spalding PsyD students selected for the program will receive $25,000 annual stipends, and MSW students will receive $10,000 stipends.

“The fact that we are able to train students in this model and provide grant-funded stipends to them is huge as it helps cut down students’ debt load as they are learning marketable skills,” Nash said. “We do everything we can to find opportunities and partnerships to help reduce students’ debt. We are thrilled and honored to have received the HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant for the second cycle in a row. It shows our commitment to training and supporting students, and it shows the confidence that HRSA has in us to train the next generation of psychologists.”

School of Social Work Chair Dr. Shannon Cambron called the grant “a game-changer for both our Master of Social Work students and the community they serve.”

“Students are given the opportunity to prepare for the work they’re called to in an interdisciplinary setting where they can holistically consider the needs and strengths of the client,” she said. “The tuition support means they graduate with far less financial burden, which opens more broadly their avenues of service to the community. This grant and those who participate in it are living examples of Spalding’s mission to meet the needs of the times. It’s an exciting reflection of what truly being a diverse community of learners can mean for the student, the university and the community.”

The HRSA grant also supports a faculty clinical coordinator and student supervisors. Dr. Sarah Shelton from the School of Professional Psychology will continue to serve as the clinical coordinator and PsyD supervisor. School of Social Work Assistant Professor Glynita Bell is the MSW supervisor.

Note: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,048,827 with 0 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.