UTRGV Speech and Hearing Center celebrates 50 years of transforming lives across the Rio Grande Valley

By Karen Villarreal

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – JULY 30, 2026 – For five decades, the UTRGV Speech and Hearing Center has helped children find their voices, adults regain their ability to communicate and future speech-language pathologists launch careers serving communities across South Texas.

Now, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley College of Health Professions is celebrating that legacy with a 50th anniversary gala on Friday, July 31, followed by a continuing education conference for audiologists, speech-language pathologists and students on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Since opening in 1975, the Speech & Hearing Center has provided speech and language services to children and adults throughout the Rio Grande Valley while serving as the clinical training site for more than 1,000 graduate students in UTRGV's Department of Communication Disorders.

Dr. Ruth Crutchfield, chair of the Department of Communication Disorders, said the center's impact extends well beyond campus. 

"If you've been treated by a speech-language pathologist, it was probably one of our alumni," Crutchfield said. "This is a time for our alumni and the community to come together and celebrate the center's history and the lives it has touched."

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF SERVICE

The anniversary gala, themed "50 Years of Voices Heard and Lives Changed," begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Edinburg Ballroom. 

The celebration will reunite alumni, students, faculty and practicing clinicians while honoring five decades of service, education and community impact.

Guests can explore a historical photo exhibit highlighting the center's evolution over the past 50 years before taking a guided walking tour of campus that includes the current Speech & Hearing Center in Edinburg Health Affairs Building West.

Because the clinic has relocated and expanded over the years, Crutchfield said many graduates who completed the program before 2003 have never seen its current facilities, including modern therapy rooms, observation areas and audiology suites. 

"People may not have been on campus since they were students, and it's vastly different now," Crutchfield said. "I'm excited to welcome our alumni back and recognize where we were then and where we are today." 

Tickets for the gala are $50, and the event is open to the public. RSVP is required.

CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY 

The celebration continues Saturday, Aug. 1, when UTRGV and the Texas Organization of Multilingual Multicultural Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists (TOMMAS) host the 14th Biennial Conference in the Edinburg Ballroom from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Designed for students, faculty and practicing professionals, the conference offers six continuing education hours through the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TXSHA). 

Featured speakers include Dr. Casey Taliancich-Klinger, assistant professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at UT Health San Antonio, who will discuss best practices and ethical considerations for dual-language assessment. UTRGV's Dr. Cecilia Montiel-Nava, director of the Behavior and Child Development Lab, will present on bilingual considerations when evaluating and supporting children on the autism spectrum.

Crutchfield said the conference gives professionals an opportunity to earn required continuing education credits while learning from experts in the field. 

"It's a great opportunity to receive high-quality training from experts close to home," she said.

Proceeds from both events will help fund student scholarships in the department.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Dr. Ruth Crutchfield at ruth.crutchfield@utrgv.edu or call 956-665-2387.