West Chester University Speech Pathology Graduates Earn White Coats

WEST CHESTER, PA — A formal White Coat Ceremony, as a rite of passage marking the end of coursework and the beginning of hands-on clinical work with patients, is set Friday afternoon in West Chester University’s new Sciences & Engineering Center.

During the ceremony, white coats will be placed upon the shoulders of each graduate student by the faculty who have helped guide them to this next critical phase of professional development. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m.

Wearing their new white coats, which represent ‘cloaks of compassion,’ the graduate students will join in the recitation of the Code of Ethics of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

The White Coat Ceremony is the Centennial Celebration Kick-off for the University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

West Chester University President Chris Fiorentino and West Chester Mayor Lillian DeBaptiste speak during the ceremony.

The mayor will present the department with a special proclamation honoring its 100th anniversary and many years of dedicated service to the community through its Speech and Hearing Clinic.

Founded in 1923, the clinic offers free, full diagnostic evaluations for children and adults suspected of having speech, language, or hearing disorders.

Treatment is offered in both individual and group settings and bilingual Spanish-English evaluations and treatment are available.