Augustana board approves $3.5M Brodahl expansion

The Augustana College Board of Trustees has approved a $3.5 million expansion of the Brodahl Building to accommodate the college’s new master’s degree program in speech-language pathology. Construction is expected to begin in April 2019.

The expansion, which will double the size of the building, includes plans for the Barbara A. Roseman Center for Speech, Language and Hearing, a family observation room, research labs, and faculty and clinical staff offices.

“The Brodahl hall expansion will propel Augustana to the next level in the field of speech-language pathology,” said board chair John Murabito, an Augustana alumnus and chief human resources officer for Cigna Corporation.

“For our students, this means a continuation of their work with the community. For the community, it means expanded services in an area that’s seeing significant need. All in all, it’s a win-win and we’re proud to be a part of that.”

Clinical and research space will expand in the following areas:

Therapy rooms will increase from seven to 14. This will expand audiology services, including hearing screenings and assessments, hearing aid fittings and management. It also will include one preschool group therapy room and one adult life skills therapy room to allow for an increase in individual and group speech and language interventions for children, teens and adults. Each therapy room will be equipped with state-of-the-art video recorders for viewing and analysis.

Clients' family members will be able to view sessions privately, watching how the client progresses and better learning how they can repeat the activities at home.

All faculty members will have their own dedicated lab space for research that involves undergraduate and graduate students.

Faculty and clinical staff offices will accommodate 14 offices, including offices for four new faculty members.

“The Brodahl hall expansion will provide a variety of new teaching and research spaces that faculty will use to enhance student learning both inside and outside of the formal classroom,” said Dr. Kathy Jakielski, professor of communication sciences and disorders. “We will be able to expand the clinical and community-based services we provide to the Quad Cities area. The beneficiaries are numerous, including our clients, students and faculty.”

Augustana is known for offering a top undergraduate program in communication sciences and disorders. Between 95 and 100 percent of Augustana students who major in communication sciences and disorders enroll in graduate programs every year. Offering a master’s program in a newly expanded building will provide these students a seamless transition to post-graduate studies.

Augustana anticipates enrolling 20 graduate students each year from Augustana. The first class will graduate in 2022.

The expansion was supported by an anonymous lead gift of $500,000. The Brodahl expansion is one of several capital projects in progress or planned for the coming years. The college recently announced its AUGUSTANA NOW campaign to increase funding for capital projects and endowment, which helps support faculty and student scholarships, and day-to-day operations.