Speech-Language Pathology Program Plans a Return to Campus with a Renovated Gertz Building

The Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program will return to Queens College in the Fall 2026 semester, following a four-year renovation process of the Gertz building where the program was once housed.

The Graduate program has temporarily resided in Kissena Hall 2 — the off-campus building outside of the main gates of Queens College — since 2021. The renovation of the Graduate Program was initially delayed due to COVID-19 and budgetary constraints.

“Our clients are basically coming from this surrounding area, and some of them drive from as far away as Suffolk County, Brooklyn and Westchester to be here. And we’d like to be able to offer those services to more people, and we’d like to be able to accommodate more students,” said Director of the Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program Patrica McCaul.

The speech-language hearing clinic provides services to adults and children with communication disorders and prepares students to become speech-language pathologists. The addition of new therapy and observation rooms for families and students to visit will have a strong impact on the community. These rooms will also be used for training purposes so that students and families can watch videos and learn from them.

Accessibility has become an issue for the Graduate Program because their absence on campus made it more difficult for students and families to visit. Once adjacent to QC Child Development Center in Kiely Hall, the speech and pathology clinic’s current off-campus location has made it harder for parents with children in the Child Development Center to locate the center and receive the clinic’s services.

“We had much more ease of parents being able to kind of come over and say, hey, my kid is in need of services, or I’d like you to see somebody,” McCaul said. “Now that more and more students are back on campus in person, I’d like to be able to make sure that they have the opportunity to come in, and I think, because of the addition, we’re definitely going to have a bigger presence down on that side of the campus.”

The renovated building will allow the services provided by the clinic to become more accessible to the community and students on campus: the Graduate Program can stay current and have a more active role in QC campus community and events.

The Graduate Program leads students into the field through a mentorship model in which the faculty is with them 100 percent of the time. The connections that are made in the program create a welcoming and open environment for students and families to interact.

“Every patient, regardless of background or setting, deserves access to compassionate, individualized care—and above all, to be heard,” said Alexis Arroyo, a second year Speech-Language Pathology Graduate student.

Being a part of their journey and sharing stories with clients is what drives the students to be passionate about their studies.

Creating a space for individuals to be a part of society in the way they communicate is what makes the Graduate Program special.

The new space on campus will open opportunities for students and those in the community to receive the help they may need. The Speech-Language hearing clinic has welcomed adults, children and students to their services to accommodate for the needs of different groups of people. Once renovated, all Graduate Program classes will be held in the Gertz building, which, when complete, will hold all of the various events and programs like the Parkinson’s voice program under one roof.

Individuals interested in the Graduate Programs services can reach out to their email speechcenter@qc.cuny.edu or walk into the building to talk to someone and set up an appointment.