University Series 022 | Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University

Shauna Costello (00:02):

You're listening to operant innovations, a podcast brought to you by ABA technologies, this week on the university series, we're talking with the Franciscan missionaries of our lady university, and I know that's a long name, but for short, they go by FranU. And we'll be talking with dr. Tracy Lepper, dr. Lepper received her bachelor's degree from Western Michigan university and completed two years of graduate training there before transferring to Texas Christian university. She received her master's degree and doctoral degree from Texas Christian university. She has been a BCBA since 2013. Her clinical experiences include providing behavior analytic services and or assessments to individuals with autism, both adults and children, dementia, traumatic brain injuries and juvenile sex offenders, her research interests include, but are not limited to the assessment and treatment of non-socially mediated, problem behavior, language acquisition, research methodologies, stimulus preference assessments, impromptu strategies. And now we are going to talk to dr. Lepper about the very unique research opportunities and practical opportunities that her undergrad students at FranU get to experience. I am here with dr. Tracy Lepper today from FranU. Thank you so much for talking with me today.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (01:31):

Thank you for having me and hi to all the listeners,

Shauna Costello (01:36):

And we're very excited because you are a newer program. Um, so do you want to start off with just a general overview of FranU?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (01:45):

Sure. Um, so our program, like you mentioned is a new program, uh, we are actually in our second semester. Um, so we launched in the fall and it was, um, an effort that was a collaboration from the community, from the, uh, Capitol area network task force on autism and Fran U. And they pulled the community in terms of what were the needs of the community. And the overwhelming response was that they needed more, um, clinicians to provide services to children with autism spectrum disorder. So with that, the FranU, uh, did what they had to do to get this program set up in place.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (02:41):

I came on board about a year and a half ago to help develop the program. We now offer, uh, a few different options for students who are interested in becoming certified at the undergraduate level. So, um, one option we have is that they can complete their bachelor's degree and receive the certificate, um, or applied behavior analysis while they complete that psychology degree. Additionally, students can opt, if they're a, have a bachelor's degree to complete just the didactic courses in applied behavior analysis and also receive the certificate. And then we also offer the option of completing those supervised experience hours. So we have an internship sequence that consists of acquiring a thousand hours of supervision over four semesters, which has been, um, a very awesome opportunity for us to provide some of these services in the community.

Shauna Costello (03:52):

But what about faculty?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (03:55):

So currently I am the only full time faculty member. We do have, um, adjuncts who have come on board and Nicole Thompson is teaching our registered behavior technician course that's offered. That is not part of the certificate program, but it is offered to provide opportunity for those services in our area for students who are interested in becoming licensed and certified as a registered behavior technician. And then we also have a Charlotte Carb, dr. Charlotte Carb coming on board this summer as an adjunct who will be helping to provide some supervision for the internship courses. And then we have dr. Elliana Pizarro, who is also the director of one of our partners from the community. She will be coming on board in the fall to help out with teaching some of that didactic coursework.

Shauna Costello (04:58):

And then I think, I remember hearing you say that you're also hiring right now.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (05:05):

Yes. We are hiring currently. So if there's anybody out there that's interested in applying, we have our link to the application and our job posting available on indeed highered.com, as well as the ABAI career portal.

Shauna Costello (05:26):

That's really exciting because that just shows that the interest in the program is there and that not only this program, but also the school wants the program to grow even more. Because right now we have the, we, I say, we, you have the RBT and the BCABA core sequence. Um, but I, this is, this may just be me assuming, but do you get, do you see the program expanding even further in the future?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (05:58):

Yes, we are interested in expanding the program. Um, we are currently, um, speaking another faculty member possibly more down the line, but we would like to be able to offer, um, here in the next year or two, um, master's program. So we're very excited. The community is provided so much support and the university so much support to build this program.

Shauna Costello (06:25):

Yeah. And that's really exciting. Um, and I know that when you're talking about some of your adjuncts, you talked about some of the connections that they have to community partners. And, um, does it have to do with any of the practicum sites or the, you know, the experience that some of your students are getting?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (06:44):

Yes. So, um, we have a couple of community partners that, um, have the partnership for the internship opportunities that our students can opt to take. Um, one of those community partners are, is the emerge center and another is the pediatric developmental and therapy center here in Baton Rouge. Um, we've had interest and are in the works of developing other partnerships, but that's really gonna, um, depend on the demand for those internship placements. Um, but the students that they have loved their experiences from both of these community partners, um, they're really getting some great supervision while they're learning to apply behavior analytic interventions with kiddos on the autism spectrum. And they're really, really just loving that experience and being able to, uh, have that concrete application of what they're learning in the classroom. Um, and it's really great to see the excitement on the students' faces when everything just starts to click for them between the two. Um, it's really a rewarding experience for me seeing that.

Shauna Costello (08:06):

Yeah, that's really exciting. Cause I remember when I transferred to Western for my undergraduate, um, I, people probably heard me say this before, but I was premed and I had time to double major. So I was like, psychology would be close, not knowing at the time that Western is almost strictly behavior analytic in nature. Um, I learned very quickly cause my first course I took was with Doctor was Dr. Malott's intro course. So I learned very quickly, but right from that first course, it was that light bulb moment. And it was that, what, what am I doing? No, this is what I need to be doing. So, um, I switched and I'm very happy that I did, that I did switch. Um, but that's really exciting to hear about the types of opportunities that your students have. Um, and you know, I'm not sure, um, what, like who the students are that are coming in to the program. Um, are they typically like students from the area or, um, what are you seeing with like, who are your students and, you know, kind of, how did, how did they find you?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (09:17):

Well, um, like yourself, a lot of our students were majoring in, um, other areas of healthcare. Um, FranU, started off as a nursing school back in 1923. Um, you can imagine the nursing program at our university is quite expansive. Um, so a lot of our students were in that area and for some reason or another decided that, hey, this might not be the career path I wanna take. Um, and then found themselves, I'm really interested in psychology. Hey, this is a nice fit. Um, I do want to help people and this is a way I can help people.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (10:00):

It's also a way I can help people and have a career path with an undergraduate degree in psychology. So that is awesome. Our students, um, I would say are, um, the majority are somewhat nontraditional. A lot of them, I actually pulled them last night, a group of them. And a lot of them mentioned the fact that, um, they had attended bigger universities and for some reason or another, um, really were not excelling in that big university setting and coming to FranU, they were contacting the reinforcement contingencies necessary for them to really maintain that excellent academic standard and excel in their studies. So, um, I'm really, really just happy to have them. And they're so, our students are so dedicated and they've had some of those real world experiences and decided, you know what, I do want to come back to school. I want it to be more of that, um, setting where my professors know my name, um, not only do they know my name, they know my pet's name, they know my boyfriend's name. Um, because we do have that small school really just, um, close knit community. And, uh, I think that's one of the reasons that I really just love this program is that I am able to get to know my students and I'm not only able to get to know them, their interests and really tailor the classroom setting to their interest, to their, um, to their lives. And I think that helps with the engagement with the material as well.

Shauna Costello (12:03):

Yeah, and I completely understand. Um, and that's, that's something too that, you know, when we were talking before this, that we kind of talked about like how I just kinda decided to stay at Western because I was there, which was a great opportunity and choice. I'm very happy I did. Um, but that kind of, you know, when I think about how close you are with the students and when I was teaching in some of my undergraduate courses as well, um, at another university after I was done as an adjunct, um, that close that closeness and having students come to you and be like, hey, these are my interests. Okay. Where do I go now? And what do I do now? So where do you see some of your undergrads going? Are they, I don't know what, you know, like the laws are in Louisiana. Um, but I know that BCABAs in Michigan, um, this might have changed since I was practicing years ago, a couple of years ago. Um, but I know BCABAs in Michigan have the opportunity to have a actual caseload. Um, so are your students going out and practicing? Are they maybe some of them going on to master's programs? Where do you see some of them going?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (13:21):

Um, so I have a range of interest as far as, um, where my students would like their education to take them. Um, so I have some students interested in pursuing graduate degrees. Um, one student in particular, she is interested and pursuing a career path that includes theology and applied behavior analysis. Um, so that is one of our career paths that our students have opted to take. I have another student who's interested in pursuing a master's degree in applied behavior analysis. And then I have several students that are interested in, um, the clinical work in the area. So just providing those services that are so needed, um, in our area. So I'm very happy to have students that have their interests, um, in both aspects. So some want to go on for those, um, graduate degrees and some are looking to, uh, have that terminal, um, career path and provide services that are needed here in the community.

Shauna Costello (14:41):

Well, I mean, even to hear where some of these undergrads are, you know, even like thinking about potentially taking the field and disseminating the field is really exciting because I know that we focus a lot on, you know, like our master students and our PhD students to do the dissemination, but that's not always where it starts. It starts with our undergrads. So,

Dr. Tracy Lepper (15:04):

It really does. And I like you was fortunate and that, um, I was exposed to, um, behavior analytic orientation for all my courses at that undergrad level there at Western. And I've really tried to create that for our undergrads in the psychology program here at FranU, because I have found that to be, um, just such a great experience to have that undergraduate education that was behavior analytic and then take that into the grad school setting or also those that are planning on just, um, taking that degree and working as a clinician.

Shauna Costello (15:54):

Yeah. And I know that I can completely relate to that right now because I'm looking at PhD programs and I'm looking at PhD programs that are not behavior analytic. So, but that doesn't mean I'm, you know, I want to bring behavior analysis to these fields. Um, so it's one thing that, you know, I'm interested in as well. So when I hear about dissemination, I'm just like, I start geeking out, trying to think of all the ways we can do it. So it's really exciting to hear that, you know, even some like your students are already thinking about where they want to go when they're done and how they want to, or how they can see their behavior analytic training used in some of the fields that they're interested in. So that's really exciting.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (16:42):

Definitely. Um, yeah, it's just great to see such interest from our students in the field in dissemination of applied behavior, analytic services, um, to other populations, most of their, um, hands on training and their supervision is working with children with autism, but, um, many of them have interests outside of that area. So I've had students that have interest in more of the parent training aspect and working the court system and, um, providing that parent training that's necessary in some of those areas.

Shauna Costello (17:27):

Yeah. And a lot of times we see, um, I mean, a lot of times, unfortunately, um, that's often what we see is a lot, some of our families are in these systems and it's not always part of our training, are these systems. So, um, being able to work within some of those systems is exciting. Um, I know that I've been to Louisiana, not Baton Rouge, I've been to New Orleans, um, where everybody usually goes. Um, but what is the area like, you know, what are the populations your students are working with? Um, what should they expect from, you know, I think some people would be like, why would I want to go to Louisiana? Like, isn't that just a swamp? Like, I mean, I loved it, but,

Dr. Tracy Lepper (18:24):

Well, um, that's a great question. And I think a lot of people, um, have that perception of it just being a swamp and, um, really, no, Louisiana is beautiful. Um, our area, Baton Rouge being the capital of Louisiana has a very, um, diverse culture. Um, we also have this culture of family, food, faith, um, really, and festivals. I can't forget festivals. Um, so we have a lot to offer in this area. Um, the beauty, we do have swamps around the area. And let me tell you, they are gorgeous. There is nothing quite like a tour at sunset on the swamps. Um, you will see alligators in those swamp areas, but it's just so beautiful. Uh, we have, uh, outdoor activities, many state parks we have, um, cycling that you can do along the levies, along the Mississippi river. We have plenty of outdoor activities fishing if you're a fisherman, um, lots of that, the food, um, we're a foodies dream. Um, so lots and lots of delicious food, um, crawfish. Um, we love our crawfish boils. We love our gatherings, um, which is making our, our situation right now currently, um, especially heartbreaking. Um, so we're not able to have our big gatherings of just long hours of talking and community and crawfish. It's, um, there's just so much to offer in this area. Um, there's a very nice art culture within, we have, um, several music venues, uh, raising canes, um, music venue we have, um, and then being close to LSU, we have the sports. Um, so there's definitely activities for us to be involved in. There's a lot of tiger pride. Um, so lots and lots to offer in this area.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (20:46):

And think one of the really nice things about Baton Rouge is it is a larger city. It's the capital city, but at the same time, it's got the small town feel. And I know when I was looking at relocating to this area, one of the nice things I found about Baton Rouge was that it was rated as having the nicest people in the nation. And I really found that to be true just upon my first visit, my first campus visit here. Um, I walk into a store and everybody's just so friendly and personable. And to me, it's just, it is, um, it is a awesome community.

Shauna Costello (21:33):

And honestly, what I've noticed when I, um, you know, from my travels and, you know, like I said, I haven't been to Baton Rouge, but I have been to new Orleans. And, um, it's still this big melting pot.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (21:49):

It is.

Shauna Costello (21:49):

Louisiana, and this is, might be an overgeneralization, like I said, I don't have as much like a lot of experience around Louisiana, but from my experience there. Cause when I, when I travel, you know, I like to do some of the touristy things, but I also like to not do touristy things. I like to make sure, you know, I'm getting out into, like, I like to ask people who live there, where do you go? Like, where do you go? Like, how can I experience what you're experiencing? And so nice, so welcoming. And it's just, Louisiana is really like, like a, I really still consider it a melting pot. There's so many different cultures, which like you brought up food and festivals and community, and it's really cool to see that.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (22:39):

Yes. Um, like you mentioned, we are just minutes away from new Orleans, 45 minutes away. Um, new Orleans is right there. That is definitely a melting pot, bringing people from all over the world. Um, our community. Yes. Um, also a melting pot and, um, it is amazing for me to see that, but also have that small town appeal, um, in a large city. So yes, we have a lot of different, um, cultures, um, and it's intermixed, um, which really provides those opportunities for everybody, um, to have fun and experience, um, different cultural activities, um, that are always going on around towns. So, um, lots of fun, diverse nightlife, um, lots of things to do, no matter your interest you can find things to do in this area.

Shauna Costello (23:48):

And that's really nice to know because I know I like exploring and, um, yeah, it's just, you know, people don't quite know what they might be getting into, especially if you've never been to Louisiana. Um, and another thing, you know, I like to pull up maps while I'm talking to schools. And like you said, you're a stones throw away from new Orleans, but you're also only about four hours away from Houston and I've also been to Houston. Um, loved it. Um, but I mean, you're kind of like in this area where you could just kind of go explore, like if you go East or West or North or Northwest or Northeast, you're kind of right in this middle where you could just go and spread out.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (24:37):

Definitely. I love to travel. Um, and going to Houston, I go to Houston frequently for a weekend trip. Also going to Dustin, Florida. Um, it's four hours away as well. Um, so you really can have a day trip to either one of these, um, desirable destinations, as well as, um, experiencing all the fun you can have in Baton Rouge. But yes, um, we are pretty centralized for either of those areas. Um, if that's more of your interest area or where you want to be, um, it's not too far. Like I traveled to Texas quite frequently.

Shauna Costello (25:24):

Yeah. And that's just always something I like to point out just because a lot of people wonder, like, okay, I've heard of Baton Rouge, but you know, like I know, I know the state shaped like a boot, but I don't know where it is. Um, so just know it's very centrally located. Um, but from my experience in Louisiana, you will have plenty of exploring to do. Um, so what about like Fran, you as like a whole as a university? I know you said, you know, back in the day it started off as a nursing pro as a nursing program in school and, um, kind of what has been your experience being at the university?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (26:07):

Well, um, as you mentioned, yes, it started as a nursing school that was established in 1913 by six Franciscan sisters who traveled from France, um, to, um, relocate and provide those healthcare services that were needed at this time in this area. Um, and from their work, they were able to establish, um, to meet the increasing demand for healthcare services at that period of time, 1913 they established the nursing school. And from that just over the years, the increased and different demands related to health care services. Um, they started offering more and more programs and then as they started to offer more and more programs, they then went on to establish at that time was our lady of the Lake college. And more recently we've changed our name to Franciscan missionaries of our lady university. Um, when we started to add those masters and doctoral programs related to healthcare, um, and that has happened recently, um, we've now become established, um, in that aspect. Um, they've always had the goal of providing services to the community and it really shows through with their mission. Um, that's one of the things that drew me to the school was that their mission was so relatable to apply behavior analysis. Um, they're trying to provide services that are related to improvement and the overall conditions for, uh, community members, no matter whom that community member may be.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (28:08):

Um, they want to provide services that are needed in the community and you, and I both know applied behavior analysis. We want to use our technologies, um, to help and improvement and any behavior that, um, in order to best meet the needs of our consumers. So, um, they've really been open to, um, developing and collaborating in to other areas and working with other populations they're interested and providing support for increasing the breadth of our programs for collaboration with other community members. Um, so it's very exciting. My experiences have been, um, where I've been so supported in terms of, Hey, I think that this program would benefit from allowing our students to engage in this opportunity or this opportunity. Um, it's really been an amazing experience for me to work within this university.

Shauna Costello (29:31):

I mean even if you go look at the, even when you go look at the school's website, it's really cool to see when you look at their academics. Typically, you know, when you go to a school's you see business, okay. Some health care, okay. Some science, okay, there's math, there's English and there's this. And there's like, there's this huge, big multitude of different types of programs you can go into. And when you go to FranU's, it's actually really cool to see how focused they are on, you know, they do have business, but outside of business, it's so focused and it's a lot of healthcare and a lot of things related to just human health. And like you said, that could present some really cool opportunities for your students.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (30:30):

Definitely. Um, it's just early in our program. Um, but we do have like interest and support for collaboration with other departments like currently. Um, some of our students, I mentioned one in particular, um, were collaborating on a research project with the theology department. Um, then we have the opportunity to collaborate with nursing students, students in biology. Um, it's just a really amazing the, uh, the opportunities that we have and with those opportunities, the support necessary to make those opportunities, um, blossom into something, um, beneficial for everybody involved, um, FranU is unique in that we are actually under the health care system. So our, our parent company is the Franciscan missionary of our lady health care system. And, um, with that, we have, um, other, uh, healthcare facilities all working together. So it, it is a really unique situation for a university to be in. And along with that, I think there's a lot of opportunities.

Shauna Costello (32:01):

And I was just going to say the same thing, because I know that, you know, that's something you mentioned that, you know, in, in the future, that's where you want to start going. And a lot of things now are these clinical behavior analysts wondering how do I work with these primary care physicians? How do I get work more closely with, you know, their healthcare providers and this and that. And so, I mean, seeing you don't often see a behavior analytic program housed underneath like a healthcare program. And it's so cool to even hear that this behavior analytic program is housed under this healthcare program, that down the road, and you already have the support from the school, you know, to maybe even start working and collaborating with creating systems, you know, to work more closely with these providers and all of these other professionals and learning the lingo and getting in the, getting your foot in the door or your students' feet in the door for some of those. So it's really cool to imagine what the potential is for your, for your growing program.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (33:11):

Yes, it's very exciting.

Shauna Costello (33:15):

And so we talked about, you know, overview of the school, um, you in the adjunct faculty, the students that you're seeing, FranU, the area, um, what else do we still need to talk about?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (33:32):

Well, um, with the changing, uh, environment that we're currently all experiencing, um, our internship has taken a turn. And with that, I thought I'd mentioned a little bit about the research that the students are doing at the undergrad level.

Shauna Costello (33:50):

Yes, please.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (33:52):

We are very excited that our students are engaging in research and, um, heading up their own research projects. Uh, the first one I'm going to talk about is a project that I think really was spawned from the interest of one of our students. Um, and what she is looking at is using, um, equivalence based instruction to teach catechism to children with disabilities. So, um, I think this project it really focuses, um, such a nice example of how applied behavior analysis really fits in with the mission of the university is also one of our projects that, um, involves collaboration with other departments. Um, so I'm really, really excited about this project and not only that, this is what she wants to do, um, as her career goals. So I really think this is exciting. Um, not only because it's one of our first projects that we're working on as, um, at that at Fran U.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (35:11):

Um, but it's really a nice example of the type of research that we're looking at producing. Um, another example of research projects that we have going on, um, are going to include, because you can imagine we're doing research or we're trying to, um, put in place the, the tools necessary for us to be able to conduct research currently over the internet. Um, with that, that is a whole new area that has not really been navigated out for us. So we're having to figure out the logistics of this, how are we going to deliver reinforcers over the internet? Um, that type of thing. So we're working on, uh, evaluating stimulus preference assessments that can be conducted over the internet and evaluating, um, one, are we going to be able to produce a, um, hierarchy of preference and not only that will, that actually will these, um, internet based delivery of reinforcers, will those actually increase, um, behaviors?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (36:33):

So we're going to evaluate the reinforcing effectiveness of those stimulate. Um, so that's another project that's kind of been spawned out of necessity, um, for us to be able to, um, work on these other research projects. And then we have students who are interested in, um, because of what we're currently experiencing with COVID, um, trying to, um, provide some, uh, interventions to reduce, uh, face touching for our children with disabilities. And we've got to evaluate, um, we've got to evaluate some of that, um, information that's necessary. So how frequently are they touching their face? Um, does, uh, is there a function for face touching or is it non socially mediated? We're going to try to do some descriptive assessments over the internet, um, on face touching. And from that, um, see if we can identify an effective intervention to reduce that, to, uh, potentially decrease the spread of COVID for our individuals with disabilities. Um, and then we have students who are interested in, um, more of that systems type of approach, looking at, uh, things to help, um, kinda streamline some of the practices, um, and evaluating different task analyses and using those task analyses possibly and comparing task analyses to, um, YouTube videos that are out there in terms of the products that are produced. Um, so that's exciting as well. So, um, that student will be looking at evaluating task analyses used to, um, help students in terms of their graphing skills, a single subject research design type graphing skills, and compare it to the YouTube videos out there, um, that have tutorials on graphing. So those are some of our projects that we're really, really excited about. Um, we were kind of planning on working on these a little bit later in the internship, but with, um, the unexpected change, um, we've kind of, uh, started that portion of the internship project early. So very excited about those.

Shauna Costello (39:23):

It's very exciting. And so everyone wonders. I was making Tracy pause and laugh because I asked she was talking about stopping people from touching their face. I was touching my face. Um, um, so yes, no, it's all, it's all so exciting. And a lot of times this is one thing too, that I always like to mention, and this is why, you know, I like to bring on undergraduate programs too, and not just graduate programs, because sometimes in the undergraduate programs, um, you don't get this type of hands on research experience and really, you know, tailoring it to what your interests are. A lot of times you're working on masters or PhD students research projects rather than something of your own. And that's so exciting. That's so cool to hear the types of ideas and, you know, just research methods that some undergraduate students are putting into place because, you know, a lot of times, you know, faith does come up with the behavior analytic stuff and, and this is just something to that behavior analysts need to make sure they're culturally competent about is faith. And, you know, although we might not have the same faith as our clients or someone else that doesn't mean that we necessarily can't serve them. It just means we have to, we have to be trained and get training in how to effectively help these individuals. And it's really cool to see because, you know, it is our job as behavior analysts to make sure that we are as helpful as possible. Um, and it's just, it's really, really cool to see the types of hands on experience that your undergrads are getting. So, I mean, good job, because that is a lot to take on.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (41:21):

It is very exciting. Um, that's one thing I really, um, when I was, um, kind of thinking about the program and how to develop the program, that was one thing I really wanted to be able to include was the research practitioner model. Um, that was something I really, really enjoyed at Western. Um, I had the opportunity to work on so many different research projects as a research assistant. And I think I learned so much from those experiences that I just found it to be of such a value that I wanted to be able to provide that valuable experience to our students here.

Shauna Costello (42:11):

Yeah. And it's great just to see too, and this is something that, you know, we've seen from, you know, talking to multiple universities and even new programs, and this really shows the importance of supervision and teaching because the type of program that you go to is honestly, probably going to be how and what you teach in the future. Um, and so, you know, I know that I take a lot of what I do, what I learned from Western and my supervision style is very similar to my supervisor's supervision style, is what I noticed. And so it's just really cool to see that, you know, you're starting to give them these opportunities and learning experiences at such an early time and stage in their program and learning. So it's really exciting.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (43:04):

Um, I definitely am like you, I tried them. Um, I try to, um, exhibit those behaviors that my mentors, um, showed and used and offered with that in mind is just really been my desire to provide our students with as much of that as possible, because my mentors, I feel provided me with so many valuable opportunities and shaped my behavior. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to, uh, try to do those things for my students as best I can.

Shauna Costello (43:51):

Yeah. And I'm really excited to, you know, down the road hear an update about the programs. Um, but I mean, there's some really exciting and cool things going on. And, um, I know we usually talk about, you know, like the application process and this and that, but because it's an undergrad program, I'm assuming it's just applying like any other program with like any other undergrad program would, um, so I don't want to get too much into that right now. Um, but yeah, I would love an update on where you guys are going, and the research you guys are doing because it's really cool. Um, but is there, I don't think I have any other to ask, is there anything else that you want to make sure that the listeners hear about?

Dr. Tracy Lepper (44:38):

Well, other than the fact we have open enrollment, um, and we're always looking for, um, students who are interested in applied behavior analysis, um, please feel free to reach out and contact me, um, via email. Do you mind if I drop my email?

Shauna Costello (44:58):

I always make sure. And I always ask, but you just confirmed it for me, but I always make sure to include your email, who I'm talking to in the podcast description.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (45:09):

Okay.

Shauna Costello (45:10):

So you can say it, and it will also be in the podcast description along with the brand new website where you can learn more about the program too.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (45:19):

Well. Wonderful. So if there are any interested students out there, please feel free to reach out to me at tracy.lepper@franu.edu. Um, I would love to chat with you more about the program. Um, I will definitely keep in touch with you and update you on, um, how the program's doing. I'm looking forward to the future of the program. And I am interested in seeing it progress and develop as well.

Shauna Costello (45:50):

Yes. And just a reminder too, that they are hiring for some more faculty. So if any faculty members or, you know, are interested, also reach out. Um, yes. Um, but thank you so much for talking with me today.

Dr. Tracy Lepper (46:05):

Thank you. Thank you for having me. It's been really nice to talk with you.

Shauna Costello (46:12):

Thank you for listening to this episode of the university series. And as always, if you have questions, comments, feedback, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to us at operantinnovations@abatechnologies.com.