Psychology programs win inaugural award for educational excellence
May 2007
The Community Psychology and the Clinical-Community Psychology programs have been nationally recognized with the first-ever Award in Excellence in Education Programs from the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA), a division of the American Psychological Association. The work these extraordinary programs accomplish in impoverished communities of Chicago speaks to the heart of our urban, Catholic and Vincentian mission.
The award, which will be presented in June at SCRA's biennial conference in Pasadena, Calif., recognizes DePaul for our exemplary and innovative contributions to the education and mentoring of students about community psychology and community research and action.
In recent years, the programs have developed partnerships with more than 50 community-based organizations that allow our students and faculty to work on a variety of important social issues including disability in the workplace, depression prevention among African-American youth and alternative community settings for people in recovery. They also provide evaluation and consultation services to underserved communities and non-profit organizations that serve those communities.
The programs collaborate with departments and centers within DePaul such as the Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning, the Center for Community Research, the Community Mental Health Center, the Cultural Center, the Center for Urban Education and the McNair Scholar's Program.
Outstanding work is being done not only in the graduate programs but in the interdisciplinary graduate Certificate in Community Development Program and the newly developed undergraduate concentration in Community Psychology for psychology majors. DePaul's Clinical Psychology Program, which includes tracks in child psychology and community psychology, was established in 1967. The interdisciplinary Community Psychology Program began in 2000.
I congratulate the faculty, staff and students in these two programs whose exemplary work has brought this national honor home to DePaul.
