History of the Department

Although interest in speech and hearing processes and their disorders was developing in several universities in the 1920s, the beginnings of this discipline are usually attributed to the pioneering work of Carl E. Seashore, head of the Department of Psychology and the dean of the Graduate College at Iowa. Under his leadership and vision, a new field was molded -- one which was truly interdisciplinary, involving experts from developmental psychology, psychiatry, otolaryngology, and pediatrics.

In 1924, Lee Edward Travis became one of the first persons in the world to receive a Ph.D. based on study in this new field. He headed the Iowa program through the 1930s, a period during which many of the future leaders of the field were graduate students at Iowa. Many of them went on to establish programs at other major universities.

It was during a conversation with colleagues in Dr. Travis's living room that the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association was founded. His former home at 513 South Summit Street in Iowa City has been beautifully maintained as a historic private residence.

Although speech science, audiology, and other areas of study were developing in the Iowa program during the Travis era, the primary research focus was the enigmatic problem of stuttering. Work on this disorder was continued and expanded by Wendell Johnson, who guided the program through the late 1940s and early 1950s; our building and in-house training clinic are named in Wendell Johnson's honor.

The importance of the new academic discipline was recognized in 1956 when Speech Pathology and Audiology became an independent department in the College of Liberal Arts (now College of Liberal Arts and Sciences). The department expanded greatly in the next two decades. Its growth was facilitated by the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center building, dedicated in 1968. Work was expanded or initiated in speech and hearing sciences, audiology, language disorders, cleft palate, neurogenic communication problems, and a number of other areas.

Throughout its history, the department has continued to reflect the concepts of its roots. The department's programs reflect a continuing commitment to scientific exploration of speech and hearing processes and their disorders is the critical pathway to future progress in diagnoses and treatment of speech, language, and hearing problems.

Iowa's central role in the development of the field of communication sciences and disorders is more fully described in the book written on the early history of the department, "Speech Pathology and Audiology: Iowa Origins of a Discipline," by Dorothy Moeller. A video history of the program was given by Dr. Eric Hunter as part of the 42nd Annual Presidential Lecture: Understanding Our Multiple Voices in 21st-Century Communication. The full speech is here: Presidential Lecture - Office of the President - The University of Iowa.

History Timeline

1878

George T.W. Patrick (G.T.W.) earned his B.A. degree at Iowa.
1887

G.T.W. Patrick offered a course called Empirical Psychology from the Department of Mental and Moral Science and Didactics. He saved up fifty dollars to start-up funds for laboratory equipment.
Patrick joined the Iowa faculty as professor and head of Mental and Moral Science and Didactics.
1890

Iowa Psychological Laboratory was listed in the Universities Catalogue making it the fourth or fifth in the nation.
1897

Carl Seashore was named director of the Iowa Psychological Laboratory. He spent the first summer supervising a soundproofed room in Schaeffer Hall, the department’s new headquarters. Referred to as a “giant thermos bottle”, was believed to be the first in the world.
1900

Seashore created his first audiometer prototype which was taken over by Stoelting.
The department previously known as the Program in Mental and Moral Science and Didactics was renamed to the Department of Philosophy and Psychology. The department’s goal was to train specialists in the areas of “…reading disabilities and speech pathology.”
1905

Seashore was made chairman of the Philosophy and Psychology Department.
1908

Seashore made Dean of the Graduate School.
Seashore established the Iowa Psychological Clinic at the University of Iowa for cases of mental psychology, focusing the clinic and coursework around abnormal psychology.
1917

Through Seashores help the legislature established in Iowa, as an adjunct of the University, the Iowa Child Welfare Research Station. This program is now known as the Institute of Child Behavior and Development. It provided state funding for the scientific and systematic behavior and development of children.
1919

Seashore tests of Musical Ability were created.
1920

C.C Bunch received his Ph.D. degree and Seashore referred him as a psychologist of otology.
1922

Lee Edward Travis completed his BA at Iowa, and he was trained as the “psychologist of psychiatry” and created a plan like a doctoral plan of study today, which allowed for small stipends and access to any classes of campus.
1923

Travis’s MA degree was the first one counted in the department.
1924

Glenn Merry sectioned classes by ability causing speech problems to be given more attention than ever before. This started the informal progressive implementation of clinical services in the basic operating plan.
Travis finished his PhD as one of the first people in the world to receive a doctorate based in speech pathology.
1925

Psychology offerings included a course related to psychology of music and speech taught by Milton Metfessel.
1927

Travis completed his postdoctoral training and hired as an assumed many positions including Director of the Psychological and Speech Clinic.
The department was divided into separate departments of Philosophy and Psychology with Seashore heading both.
Travis Period

1927-1938
1931

Wendell Johnson preforms on a “laterality board” used to test handiness and connection with stuttering.
1934

A new soundproof room was built in East Hall referred to as the dead room.
1935

The University of Iowa medical laboratory is one of the first in the nation to record human electroencephalography (EEG) activity, led by pioneering investigator Professor Lee E. Travis.
Charles Strother received his degree. He came to Iowa to study under Lee Travis
1938

The International Council for Exceptional Children published a survey showing over a 10-year period more studies had been done on the problem of exceptional children at the University of Iowa than any other American University.
1939

Wendell Johnson taught general semantics and a course in stuttering therapy and clinical practice.
Travis gave coursework dealing with voice and articulation disorders.
Johnson Started a new group for stutterers in which he used the general semantics approach. It was called the Demosthenes Club.
A group of stutterers at the University of Iowa organized the Demosthenes Club.
Charles Strother led the program

1939-1947
1940

The University of Iowa became a “mecca for graduate students interested in the pioneering work being done in the scientific study of speech and speech disabilities.”
Strother taught the introduction to clinical practice in speech correction and with Johnson, Fairbanks, Reger, and Stuit, taught advanced clinical psychology.
1941

Strother taught a course in organic disorders of speech and, with Johnson and Stuit, a course in the foundations of clinical psychology.
Strother, Johnson, and Fairbanks, then Lynch, gave individual instruction in the Speech Department.
1943

Maude McBroom of the College of Education assisted clinical work in reading.
1945

Strother, Johnson, and Reger began teaching Clinical Practice in Speech and Hearing Disorders. They also offered training for teachers in Speech correction.
1946

SRP began by Wendell Johnson to provide stuttering therapy for out-of-town children providing speech, language, and hearing services for about 30 children each summer.
First summer of Residential Clinic rather than a summer clinic.
1947

President Hancher commits to paper the new clinics official name calling it the Speech Clinic. He describes it as, “an official administrative unit of the University, sponsored by the departments of speech, psychology, and child welfare…”
Wendell Johnson led the program

1947-1955
1948

In October the school took its first child in temporary quarters in Westlawn.
The clinic added a full-time nurse and dormitory clinicians.
1951

A different program moved out of East Hall allowing them to expand and remodel more of East Hall to fit their growth needs.
1952

Kellenberger Smith noted, “the number of patients examined in Speech Pathology in Oto was 246. This number increased to 1026 in the next four years and had continued to increase, necessitating additional staff.”
Johnson began to use a tape recorder in less traditional ways like bringing it to counseling situations as a revising machine.
1954

January the first admissions in the new Wendell Johnson building.
James F. Curtis led the program

1955-1968
1956

On July 1^st, the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology was establishment.
Degrees began to come from the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology.
1962

The department included the presidents of two national organizations, Curtis as 1962 president of the American Speech and Hearing Association, Spriestersbach as 1961-1962 president of the American Cleft Palate Association.
1965

The public-school work was reorganized in the general reorganization of clinical services. The services provided long-sought revisions of administrative structure in the clinic area and revised curriculum.
1967

Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center was constructed. The department moved from East Hall into the new building.
1968

More than 25 PhD students were in training, 100 BA students, and 50 MA students.
June 11-15 the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center was dedicated during this week.
The Summer Clinic program had 8 to 10 resident counselors who were graduate students or seniors. Living with the 50 children for the six-week period.
The state of Iowa set a new minimum of a master’s degree level of preparation for speech clinicians following the National requirement change.
2007

50^th Anniversary of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology.