The Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Education and Human Sciences was selected for the University-wide Departmental Teaching Award, announced by the University of Nebraska system.
The award was one of the 2025 Presidents Excellence Awards, the NU system’s most prestigious awards, which recognize especially meritorious research, teaching, and innovative efforts by individual faculty and academic departments or units. A combined nine honors were awarded across the NU system’s four universities. Awardees were recognized during a public ceremony at the Board of Regents meeting on Aug. 14.
The University-wide Departmental Teaching Award recognizes a department or unit within the NU system that has made unique and significant contributions to NU’s teaching efforts and that has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the education of students at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional levels.
The Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders (SECD) prepares students to serve individuals with diverse needs across the lifespan, including those with motor, sensory, communication, cognitive, and learning differences and challenges. Faculty and staff in SECD prepare future educators, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists through evidence-based instruction and rigorous academic, clinical, and field experiences.
SECD offers academic and pre-professional training at the undergraduate level, as well as advanced graduate and doctoral education including both professional and research-focused pathways. The department places a strong emphasis on applied and basic research, innovative instruction, and interdisciplinary collaboration that directly inform clinical work, student learning, and high-quality personnel preparation across Nebraska and the nation.
SECD is housed in the Barkley Memorial Center, named for William and Edna Barkley, whose gift continues to support its mission of enhancing the lives of individuals with special needs, their families, schools and communities.
College of Education and Human Sciences
Special Education and Communication Disorders
