College of Allied Health appoints new chair

March 23, 2018 |

The Harding University College of Allied Health has appointed Dr. Melanie Meeker chair of the department of communication sciences and disorders effective July 1, 2018 .

Meeker, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders, has been with the University since 2008. She has been a part of both the graduate program in speech-language pathology and undergraduate majors in CSD. Meeker has served as a member of the Interprofessional Steering Committee for Harding’s Center for Health Sciences. She was awarded a Teacher Achievement Award by the University in 2016 and is an officer in the Arkansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

“Dr. Meeker is well-respected by her peers and students,” said Dr. Rebecca Weaver, dean of the college. “Since the beginning of the speech-language pathology graduate program in 2008, she has been an integral faculty member particularly in the area of interprofessional education. Dr. Meeker is devoted to providing meaningful academic experiences in a Christian environment.”

Meeker received her B.A. in communication disorders from Harding; M.S. in speech-language pathology from the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences; and Ph.D. from the University of Central Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Little Rock and University of Arkansas Medical Sciences consortium. Meeker’s expertise is in adult neurogenic communication disorders, dysphagia, interprofessional education and practice.

Meeker succeeds Dr. Dan C. Tullos, who joined the Harding faculty in 1979 and retires in July as professor, program director and chair of the CSD department. He is a past recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award. Under his guidance the communication sciences and disorders program has grown from a major offered under the oversight of the department of communication to a separate department with two undergraduate majors as well as a graduate program.

For more CSD news and upcoming events, visit www.harding.edu/csd , or call 501-279-4648 .