USU professor earns state award
Utah State University professor, Jaclyn Littledike, received a lifetime clinical achievement award with 38 years of experience in teaching and supervising.
The Frank R. Kleffner Lifetime Clinical Career Award is given by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation to individuals who have contributed more than 20 years of commendable work to clinical science and practice.
Littledike, a graduate of USU with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s in speech language, was the winner of the award for the state and will continue onto nationals in November.
The award came as a shock to Littledike, as she is on the nomination committee for the award and believed no one had been chosen.
“It was totally a surprise,” she said. “They kept it quiet until just before the meeting.”
As a professor in USU’s communicative disorders and deaf education department, Littledike’s field is speech-language pathology (SLP).
She currently supervises mostly graduate students and seniors as they learn to diagnose and treat patients with various disorders, from children with cleft pallets to adults with traumatic brain injuries.
“She is unbelievably wonderful,” said Pam Repko, a senior in SLP beginning graduate school in the fall. “She makes you feel so good about yourself. She gives advice but is so positive and you look forward to having your meetings with her.”
Other than the supervision of students, she oversees the general operation of the clinic and occasionally participates in treatment.
“It’s a neat job with a lot of diversity in terms of my responsibilities,” Littledike said.
Her responsibilities have extended beyond USU, as she has held many positions throughout Utah: Utah legislative councilor for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), past president of the Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association (USHA), member of the Utah State Office of Education task force to develop guidelines for communicative disorders in Utah schools and a member of the State of Utah Professional Licensure Board for Speech-Language Pathology.
Carol Strong, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Services, has known Littledike since 1969, when Strong was first her supervisor, then colleague in 1973.
“I get choked up when I talk about her because she is so wonderful,” Strong said. “She has mentored all of us to become better professionals, better people. We are just richer for having known her. She has tremendous experience, wisdom and integrity.”
In a recommendation letter for the award, head of the department of communicative disorders and deaf education, James C. Blair, said, “I have been constantly amazed how this woman has dedicated so much of her life to the benefit of people that she has served. She is always giving far more than she is asked. She is an outstanding clinician, an honored supervisor, an efficient coordinator and terrific college instructor.”
In addition to the Kleffner Award, Littledike has received the Top Professor Award for 1998-99 and 2001-02 from the USU Mortar Board Association.
She was also deemed the 1997-98 Supervisor of the Year from USU’s department of communicative disorders and deaf education.
“To have worked with such wonderful people over the years and work with some highly interesting clients and disorders is really why I have enjoyed my job so much,” Littledike said. “It’s just a great way to make a living.”
-briannamo@cc.usu.edu
USU Professor Jaclyn Littledike hold the plaque she received as the recipient of the Lifetime Award. Littledike specializes in communicative disorders. (Photo by Michael Sharp)