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RESEARCH
Helen Morrison
Helen Morrison, associate professor and clinical
audiologist, has retired after 17 years at Harris College.
Committed to breaking ground at Harris in hearing
sciences, Morrison ends her traditional career proud of
what has been accomplished, and hopeful for what is
to come.
Morrison discovered her passion for deaf education and hearing
sciences in the beginning of her undergraduate career at Trinity
University. Introductory courses in cultural linguistics and language
acquisition were enough to inspire Morrison to pursue a career in a
field that would see growth beyond her expectations. “I thought, wow.
This is a field where I can watch language being acquired. I knew I had
to go into deaf education,” she said.
Earning a master’s in audiology and a doctorate in speech
communication, Morrison soon played a notable role in the
advancement of the field. Before joining Harris, Morrison worked as a
clinical audiologist specializing in therapy with children from infancy
to toddlerhood. With practical experience in diagnostic work in the
clinical setting and research focused in the area of speech production,
Morrison knew that Harris College was the next stop in her career.
Morrison joined the Horned Frog family in fall 1995 as an associate
professor and adviser to students in the Habilitation of the Deaf
program. “I’d had my eye on the program here at TCU for a long time. I
was so impressedwithwhat was happening here, and decided to keep
a close watch for an open position,”Morrison said. “Not only did I work
hard to get here, I knew I had to work hard to stay here.”
The consistent support and encouragement of research, teaching
and practice are the expectations that kept Morrison at TCU for nearly
two decades. She said, “The intimacy of TCU’s campus translates to
the classroom, fostering a learning environment where professors
truly get to know their students.” Morrison is thankful to have spent
much of her career in a setting where she could go beyond the
lecture, genuinely influencing the future leaders of hearing sciences
to practice passionately.
Zealous about providing for the needs of the hearing impaired,
Morrison will continue to mentor young people pursuing Listening
andSpokenLanguage Specialist (LSLS) certificates after her retirement.
“Somuch progress has beenmade in this field,”Morrison said excitedly.
“And there is so much more to come. I love what I’ve gotten to do, and
particularly, what I’ll keep getting to do in this next chapter.”
Carol Symon
This August marks the retirement of Carol Symon
after a 40-year career, the last 12 of which were spent
at Harris College’s Miller Speech and Hearing Clinic.
A speech pathology professional for four decades,
Symon is retiring from TCU with a full heart and
contented outlook.
Symon traces her beginnings back to one simple, yet course-altering
decision made in her undergraduate years at Purdue: a change in
major frommath to speech, per inspiration from a sorority sister. “One
intro course and I was hooked. I loved that it was a combination of
teaching and diagnostics. I would be helping people,” Symon said.
Six years and two degrees later, Symon would begin a decade-
spanning, influential career as a speech-language pathologist. Her
skillset and passion would allow her to enhance the communication
ability of those in need in a variety of contexts.
Symon joined the Horned Frog family as the speech pathologist for
children with Down syndrome when the KinderFrogs School opened
in 2000. She then became an instructor for undergraduate students;
sponsored the chapter of the National Student Speech, Language and
Hearing Association; and facilitated practical experience for the field’s
future leaders.
Shifting to the university setting allowed Symon to experience a new,
fulfilling dimension of the impact of speech-language pathology
work. Taking the next step in her career meant passing down wisdom
to a newgeneration of rising speech-language pathologists. “Teaching
at TCU renewed my interest and excitement about [this] profession. I
got to see students get excited about working with kids,” Symon said.
Playing a role in igniting the passion in tomorrow’s speech-language
pathologists is an experience Symon will savor. “TCU has many young
students who are drawn to this profession and who truly want to help
people. I’ll miss working with them.”
Fittingly, Symon’s retirement falls on the 40th anniversary month of
the start of her professional pursuit of speech-language pathology.
While her traditional working career has ended, Symon believes that
her journey is far from over and is looking forward to the next chapter.
“The intimacy of TCU’s campus translates
to the classroom,
fostering a learning
environment where professors truly get
to know their students.”
- Helen Morrison
Retiring faculty
accolades
The Harris College Magazine
- Summer 2012 ·
27