Closure of MSU’s Deaf Education Program
Michigan State University’s Deaf Education program, the only one in the entire state that incorporates ASL and the bi-bi philosophy in their training of Deaf education teachers, is going to close fully in 2012. The Deaf Education program’s dean notified the co-chairs, (Dr. Harold Johnson and Dr. Claudia Pagliaro) that there will be a freeze on future admissions and that current students will be required to finish their coursework and internship before the end of spring semester 2012. The word is also that all ASL classes will be terminated as of the spring of 2011.
From the letter I was forwarded announcing this, I cannot find any real reason why this is happening. No Nothing about financial difficulties, a reduction in admissions or anything like that, is mentioned as a cause.
Closing MSU’s Deaf Education program will have a deeply adverse impact on the deaf education programs across the state – we already have a shortage of teachers who can sign proficiently in ASL, and Michigan has tremendous difficulty recruiting Deaf community professionals in all areas.
This is indeed sad news, and it leaves me and I’m sure, many others in the Deaf community feeling bewildered and frustrated. We deserve at the very least, an explanation of why this is happening.
