New partnership agreements benefit Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology students

McDaniel College has established partnerships with The Arc Carroll County and Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., to provide high-quality, community-based clinical learning experiences for students in McDaniel’s new Occupational Therapy and developing Speech-Language Pathology graduate programs.

OT SLP Signing Ceremony — Faculty from McDaniel's Occupational Therapy and developing Speech-Language Pathology programs joined Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Vickie Mazer, The Arc Carroll County President and CEO Don Rowe, and Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., President and CEO Matthew Ramsey for a signing ceremony.

McDaniel College has established clinical training affiliation agreements with The Arc Carroll County and Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., providing high-quality, community-based learning opportunities for students in McDaniel’s new Occupational Therapy and developing Speech-Language Pathology graduate programs.

Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Vickie Mazer joined The Arc Carroll County President and CEO Don Rowe and Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., President and CEO Matthew Ramsey, who also serves as the Laurence J. Adams Endowed Chair in Special Education and program coordinator for the Human Services Management graduate program at McDaniel, to formalize the agreements during a signing ceremony held Wednesday, Oct. 7.

The partnerships provide McDaniel students pursuing careers in occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and other related health and human services fields opportunities to connect classroom learning with meaningful, real-world experiences supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Faculty from McDaniel’s Occupational Therapy and developing Speech-Language Pathology programs also attended the ceremony. Those representing Occupational Therapy were Program Director Cathy Felmlee Shanholtz, Associate Professor Anna Grasso, and Lab Coordinator Jeanna Rider. For Speech-Language Pathology, this included Program Director D’Jaris Coles-White, Assistant Professor and Clinical Education Faculty Coordinator Rosalyn Davis, and Assistant Professor Hillary Cooper.

The Arc signing — Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Vickie Mazer and The Arc Carroll County President and CEO Don Rowe.

Target Signing — Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Vickie Mazer and Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., President and CEO Matthew Ramsey.

OT Signing — Occupational Therapy faculty with The Arc Carroll County President and CEO Don Rowe, Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., President and CEO Matthew Ramsey, and Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Vickie Mazer.

SLP Signing — Speech-Language Pathology faculty with The Arc Carroll County President and CEO Don Rowe, Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., President and CEO Matthew Ramsey, and Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Vickie Mazer.

According to The Arc’s Don Rowe, “What makes this partnership especially meaningful is the opportunity for shared learning. Students gain practical experience and a deeper understanding of person-centered supports, while our organizations strengthen connections that can advance inclusion, independence, and quality of life for the people we serve.”

The agreements build on McDaniel’s longstanding relationship with Target and expand opportunities for collaboration with The Arc Carroll County.

“We are really excited about these partnerships,” Mazer said. “We have had a partnership with Target for many years, and being able to extend this to The Arc has been extremely important to us. We actually have OT students at The Arc this semester, and we think this is a unique opportunity that we will be able to build upon and turn into a model for the future.”

The partnerships also demonstrate the value of collaboration between higher education and community-based organizations in preparing students for careers that serve the needs of individuals, families, and communities.

“One of Target’s values is not just great services within our organization but also building capacity within the community, so any time we can partner with another agency or make connections that is not just a win for that agency or a win for Target, it’s a win for all of us,” Ramsey said.

"...and we think this is a unique opportunity that we will be able to build upon and turn into a model for the future," said Vickie Mazer, dean of Graduate and Professional Studies.

OT students at The Arc Carroll County

Aiden McNulty (OT) and Michael Miller — Occupational Therapy student Aiden McNulty and Michael Miller

RobbieShillingandRileyPinato — Robbie Shilling and Occupational Therapy student Riley Pinato

Riley Pinato Nathan Bunger — Occupational Therapy student Riley Pinato and Nathan Bunger

Occupational Therapy student Summer James and Tori Eshelman

McNultyHeinrichJohnson — Occupational Therapy student Aiden McNulty, Cindy Heinrich, and Occupational Therapy student Leah Johnson

McNultyHeinrichJohnsonSmithBenson — Occupational Therapy students Aiden McNulty, Leah Johnson, Sam Smith, and Dakota Benson with Cindy Heinrich

DaywaltFain — Austin Daywalt, adjunct faculty member in Occupational Therapy, with Sam Fain