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| * Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences |
September 29, 2009
Gift sounds good to Purdue's speech, language & hearing sciences
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
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The gift, from alumna Marybeth Lyles Higuera (Pronounced EE-guera) of Palm Desert, Calif., will be used to fund construction of the Lyles-Porter Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences facility, which bears the name of the donor's families.
"Just as Marybeth Higuera once cared for schoolchildren and other patients, her compassion will again benefit others, starting with Purdue graduates who will care for their own patients and researchers who strive to improve life for people of all ages with communication disorders," said Purdue President France A. Córdova. "Her gift will leave a legacy on our campus that reflects her passion for people and their well-being."
Higuera graduated from Purdue in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology and completed a master's degree in audiology from California State University of Long Beach. She practiced as a speech pathologist in California public schools and also established her own private practice.
"My parents, my brothers and one of my sons were Purdue graduates, as well as my grandfather who was a professor here," Higuera said. "Purdue is a rich part of our lives, and this program is especially important because it prepared me for a wonderful career."
Purdue's Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts, is recognized as one of the nation's best. The speech-language pathology program is ranked second and the doctor of audiology program is ranked ninth by the U.S.News & World Report. The research doctoral programs also are ranked third by Academic Analytics.
"Our faculty are known for their roles in helping us understand why people stutter and why some children experience delayed language," said Irwin Weiser, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts. "Researchers are helping Parkinson's patients improve their speech, while others are working to improve the use and quality of hearing aid devices. This new facility will provide our department much needed laboratory and accessible clinical space so we can continue to lead the way in research as well as clinical and research education. In addition, it also will be an interdisciplinary hub for the Purdue Autism Network, which is a research and community collaboration dedicated to expanding resources that are available to support persons with autism and their families in Indiana."The department also is home to the M.D. Steer Audiology and Speech-Language Clinics, which provide more than 10 clinical programs to the public and log more than 2,200 patient visits a year. For example, the Birth to Three and Preschool Language Programs for children, their parents and caregivers provides play-based, speech-language pathology and developmental therapy services.
"Today that fine teaching, brilliant research, and excellent and compassionate clinical care are in the lower floors of Heavilon Hall in a space that was built 52 years ago," said Robert Novak, professor and head of the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. "The Lyles-Porter Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences facility will provide an environment where we can expand our clinical and research work in such areas as dementia, Alzheimer's disease, autism, hearing aids and cochlear implants, voice disorders, and others by providing new laboratory, clinical, teaching and office space.
"We also will be able to improve access to the M.D. Steer Clinics as the patient load increases. Parking and accessibility for families with young children, clients with physical handicaps and older adults will be user friendly."
Higuera's parents also were Purdue graduates. Her father, William M. Lyles, Jr., earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1935, and her mother, Elizabeth Lyles, earned a bachelor's degree in science in 1933 and a master's degree in science education in 1934. Elizabeth received several Purdue honors, including Old Masters, the Purdue Alumni Citizenship Award and the Distinguished Purdue Woman Award. The W.M. Lyles Laboratory Fund in Construction Engineering and Management is named for Higuera's father.
"The Lyles-Porter Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences facility is named in honor of both of the grandfathers of my four children," Higuera said. "Both men share deep ties to Purdue."
The paternal grandfather is George A. Porter, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1922.
Higuera's grandfather, the late H. Gerald Venemann, retired from Purdue in 1954 as professor emeritus of mechanical engineering. Her brothers, Gerald V. Lyles and William M. Lyles, also are Purdue alums. One of her four children, Thomas W. Porter, attended Purdue and earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 1985.
The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences is home to 22 tenure-track faculty, 15 clinical faculty and staff, 260 undergraduates and more than 100 graduate students. About 1,500 Purdue students enroll in the department's classes, which include American Sign Language.
This event is part of a weeklong celebration that includes building dedications and announcements. The week culminates with Purdue's homecoming on Oct 3.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Sources: France A. Córdova, president@purdue.edu
Irwin Weiser, 765-494-3661, iweiser@purdue.edu
Robert Novak, 765-494-1534, novakr@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Marybeth Lyles Higuera of Palm Desert, Calif., listens to Purdue professor Christine Weber-Fox talk about her research in the Neural Systems for Language Processing Lab in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. Purdue officials on Tuesday (Sept. 29) announced that Higuera, a 1959 alumna and former speech pathologist, gave the department $10 million for a new facility. The gift will be used to fund the Lyles-Porter Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences facility, which bears the name of the donor's families. (Purdue University photo/Andrew Hancock)
A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2009/slhs-lyles.jpg
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