We delight in spotlighting each year a graduate of Iowa's Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology program who has made outstanding professional contributions.

2024-2025 Distinguished Alumnus: Ida J. Stockman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

A trailblazer in the field of speech-language pathology, Ida Stockman (65 MA) has built a career spanning decades of groundbreaking research, global engagement, and unwavering dedication to advancing communication sciences.

Her coursework and clinical training took place in a patchwork of locations—from repurposed homes to hospital labs—under the mentorship of faculty including Wendell Johnson, Hughlett Morris, and Dean Williams.

Her Iowa experience laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to research and education. Inspired by her professors and the department’s pioneering work with cleft lip and palate populations, she pursued a doctoral degree and embarked on a career that would shape the field.

Stockman is Professor Emerita at Michigan State University, where she began teaching in 1983. Her research has contributed significantly to our understanding of typical language variation, autism spectrum disorders, and semantic mapping and cognitive rehabilitation. 

Stockman’s time in Iowa City was transformative, both professionally and personally. Coming from the racially segregated South, she found in Iowa a new world of opportunity and inclusion. Her experiences here helped shape her worldview and instilled a lifelong passion for travel and cultural exchange. 

“Iowa is where I came of age,” she reflects. “It opened a whole new world to me—one that wasn’t available in my childhood.”

We are honored to celebrate her remarkable legacy, resilience, and a lifelong pursuit of equity and excellence in communication sciences!