From renowned communications scholar to winning ACU’s Teacher of the Year Award to having supervised the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at both Abilene and Dallas campuses, Dr. Brenda Bender is a well-known name and leader amongst her colleagues and speech pathology students. Whether she’s managing the next cohort of students entering their first graduate course or working with faculty members on their various projects and lesson plans, Dr. Bender has one goal in mind – to grow. With the opportunity of hosting more students interested in pursuing their Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology in Addison, Texas, Dr. Bender acknowledges that while her hands seem to be getting full, it’s all been worth it. What matters most to her is to see her students and faculty members surpass their wildest imaginations of what is possible when hard work meets service and passion.
Moving Around to Find Her Passion
Born in New Mexico but raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, Dr. Bender’s early years consisted of moving from state to state, being outdoors, and learning the importance of togetherness. Enjoying the breathtaking views of Colorado with her parents, Dr. Bender recalls the shock of going from lush, green mountainsides to the flatlands of Oklahoma. Beginning in her elementary years, Dr. Bender and her family moved to Oklahoma for her father’s work, leaving behind the life she once knew. Still, through it all, Dr. Bender remembers her family’s focus on remaining together despite the constant change. Fast forward several years, Dr. Bender was a teenager when her world was rocked again. Once more, her father’s job moved, only this time to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Upset by needing to leave her new home once again, Dr. Bender knew it was time for her to grow up because a new type of move was coming – college.
Looking to start her college career in a place with values similar to hers, Dr. Bender decided to become a wildcat and attend Abilene Christian University. Seeking a Bachelor of Science in Education in Speech and Hearing Therapy, Dr. Bender graduated in 1990 and began teaching at various public schools in the Abilene area before deciding to pursue her master’s degree at the University of North Texas. Studying away at her Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Therapy, Dr. Bender began to witness her love for working with adults and medical rehabilitation.
“I just really fell in love with what I was doing,” Dr. Bender said. “It really helped me gain a better understanding of who I was and what I wanted to do with my life and my future.”
Throughout her classes, Dr. Bender worked in medical clinics with young and old patients. However, seeing the deep need adult patients require gave her the passion to redirect herself and focus on working with patients requiring medical attention. Working at various hospitals throughout her life, Dr. Bender found herself once more in the middle of a life-moving conversation.
“I heard some staff members talking about the decline of professors in universities, specifically for students in speech pathology,” Dr. Bender expressed. “And I don’t know what came over me, but I felt myself called to move again. I always felt like I was a teacher at heart, and I knew I wanted to be a part of the movement to teach incoming speech-language therapists.”
Packing up her bags, Dr. Bender moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to obtain her doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Memphis. Focusing her efforts on completing her dissertation, Dr. Bender learned more about her field, her love for patient care, and, most importantly, what it would take for her to become a future professor and chair. Searching for answers on her next move, Dr. Bender remembers a phone call she received in 2001, just one year short of completing her dissertation, from Dr. Jon Ashby; one of the founding members of ACU’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. In one phone call, Dr. Bender was offered a teaching position at ACU months before she was supposed to walk the stage. In less than six months, in the spring of 2002, Dr. Bender began working within the program, just after ACU established the graduate program. Dr. Bender exceeded the department’s expectations while serving alongside her colleagues and was asked to serve as the department chair from 2006 through spring 2015. She also won the Teacher of the Year award during the May 2015 Commencement ceremony.
Needless to say, Dr. Bender was finally finding her passion – teaching, treating, and investing her efforts in making her department all it could be.
“Teaching is my vocation,” Dr. Bender remarked. “I thought – and still do think – that my job is to help another person to understand the world and themselves better than when they came in the door that day.”
Expanding the Program at ACU Dallas
Like any growing program, you need space. As the department has grown over the years, Dr. Bender was well aware of the discussions occurring between departments and students who were wondering if there was another way to keep interest high while simultaneously connecting with new clinics and facilities looking for speech-language pathology graduate students. Looking to keep the momentum going, Dr. Bender pulled the trigger and opened the opportunity to host new speech-language pathology students at the ACU Dallas location in Addison, Texas.
“We were listening to our students and understood how the Abilene location was extremely isolated from the rest of the state, resulting in fewer opportunities for work and internships,” Dr. Bender explained. “So, we really put our heads together and decided that the best move would be to open an additional location in Addison, so our students who wanted to be in a larger city, would have the opportunity to do so, comfortably.”
Fast-forward to 2024, and the program is projecting a cohort of nearly 28 students from across the country. Seeing the remarkable capabilities of hosting students in both locations has allowed Dr. Bender to see the possibilities and what the future holds for the department as a whole.
“Our goal has always been to make the best speech-language pathologist possible,” Dr. Bender said. “No matter the location, we have – and will continue to – strive to make our program the best it can be. I am fully committed to this role and am honestly excited to see how our faculty and staff members will push this program even further.” Are you, or someone you know, interested in pursuing their Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at our Addison location? Visit our website and learn more about this exciting opportunity.