CLASP: CUNY League of Active Speech Professors

The original idea for CLASP (acronym of the CUNY League of Active Speech Professors) originated with three CUNY faculty members: Shauna Vey, Timothy Gura and Steph Smolinsky. Maybe you feel the same need that we do: As Speech faculty, we find ourselves teaching in distinct departments, scattered throughout CUNY—and, so far—we lack a professional association within a large university. CLASP aims to create a forum for professors passionate about the power of public communication and to establish our discipline at the forefront of our growing university. We want CLASP to be a meeting place, both virtual and actual, for Speech professors—to share our skills, problems, and solutions. These are our goals:

• to stimulate conversation about the basic issues of our discipline
  • through online dialogue on the CLASP website
  • through visits to each others’ colleges and classes
  • through a yearly CLASP Colloquium
  • through bi-annual receptions
• to establish a Teaching Bank on the CLASP website that includes
  • specimen syllabi
  • textbook reviews and recommendations
  • original pedagogic materials of all kinds
• to publicize Speech-related events, both inside and outside CUNY
• to provide support and mentoring for new faculty
• to establish an audience and feedback for pioneering new approaches
• to become a powerful voice in the university
• to form connections with Speech faculty in other NYC universities

Whatever your special area of interest, we welcome you to join the CLASP conversation!