Sociodemographic Characteristics of People in Leadership Positions of Graduate Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Objectives: Knowledge associated with the construct of leadership and the sociodemographic profiles of those in leadership positions within academic communication sciences and disorders (COSD) programs in the United States is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sociodemographic profiles of people holding department chair and/or program director positions in accredited graduate speech-language pathology (SLP) and audiology (AUD) programs.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational investigation using public information was conducted to profile individuals in leadership positions of academic programs. Tabulated data included program variables (SLP, AUD, or SLP+AUD), degree offered, program level, and national ranking, in addition to sociodemographic variables of the individuals holding a leadership position. A multidimensional statistical analysis was employed to address three research questions examining: (a) the sociodemographic characteristics of people in COSD leadership positions, (b) gender distribution within leadership positions, and (c) national ranking of institutions from which leaders obtained their terminal degree.

Results: Data were acquired from 502 people holding a department chair or program director positions at 305 universities, representing 98% of all accredited graduate programs. Over 80% of leaders held a research doctorate (PhD) in COSD, and a large majority of all leadership positions were in standalone academic departments. A greater proportion of males held leadership positions when compared to the distribution of male members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), but the proportion of male academic leaders was equivalent to their representation among all male COSD faculty (20%). A larger proportion of academic COSD leaders tended to have earned their terminal degree from a highly ranked academic program.

Conclusions: This study illuminates the current profiles of those in leadership positions of academic graduate programs in COSD. Given the critical shortage of qualified faculty to staff accredited COSD programs, findings from this study may inform potential solutions to the problem of faculty sufficiency to assume leadership roles.