Save the Date!
Join us in Iowa City on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, as we celebrate and honor the lasting impact of the Wendell Johnson Speech & Hearing Center. RSVP form coming soon.
Since 1967, the Wendell Johnson Speech & Hearing Center has housed the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders—one of the first programs of speech pathology and audiology in the nation.
In 1956, Speech Pathology and Audiology became an independent department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The department expanded greatly over the next two decades, much of its growth facilitated by the opening of the Wendell Johnson Speech & Hearing Center building. Many areas were established including speech and hearing sciences, audiology, language disorders, cleft palate, neurogenic communication problems, and more.
As the department and its clinic prepare to move into the new Health Sciences Academic Building this summer, come celebrate our proud history and help us look forward to an exciting future during our commemorative event.
Schedule of events
Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025
| Time | Activity | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. | Welcome coffee/pastries | Wendell Johnson (WenJo) Lobby | |
| 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | "Walk Down Memory Lane" | WenJo, Room 308 | Planned presenters from across the decades will share stories and memories of their time at WenJo |
| 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch | WenJo Lobby | Informal lunch buffet provided |
| 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Cambus tour of campus | Pick-up/drop-off at north end of WenJo on Hawkins Drive | One Cambus will be making two rounds of the tour (first tour 1:00-1:45 p.m., second 1:45-2:30 p.m.). The bus has a 30-person seated capacity, and will be first come first served. Attendees who are not on the bus tour are welcome to stay at WenJo and mingle. |
| 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Parade from WenJo to new building | Start at WenJo; end at the new Health Sciences Academic Building (HSAB) | We will gather at the front entrance of WenJo, walk south along Hawkins Dr, turn left on Melrose Avenue, and arrive at the new HSAB building. |
| 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Open House | HSAB | Self-guided tour of the new building, light refreshments provided |
| 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Break | Attendees on their own | |
| 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Dinner and Silent Auction (dressy casual) | Mediacom Press box at Kinnick Stadium | Adults only. First hour will be cocktail hour with live music from WenJo alumni band “Broad Band.” Dinner buffet begins at 7 p.m. Cash bar. |
Share your memories
Share your favorite memories or photos from your time in the building – whether as a student, patient, or faculty and staff member.
- What was your favorite CSD class or professor?
- Describe your most memorable client during your grad clinical rotations at WenJo.
- What advice did your mentor / a professor give you that impacted you then — and now?
- What is something you learned at Iowa, or during your career that you want our students to know?
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Support CSD
If you cannot attend the event, you can still support the work of our faculty and students and the future of the program by making a gift.
The early years of Wendell Johnson
