USD President's Report 1999

HE EXPANDiNG

ROLE

0 F THE PSYCHOLOG ST

Professor Michael Ichjyama Depa,tment of P9chology

productivity at major instit ution s of high er learn ing. A recent APA task force concl ud ed that the definition of sch olarship must be redefined and expanded to acco unt for the context within which psycho logists practice . For examp le, in defining what is true scho lars hip for a psychology faculty at a liberal arts university such as USD , the goals of the institution , and most importa n t the needs of the students , must remain at the fosefront. Teaching and service activities must regain their stature as equally valued aspects of sch olarship in th e field. Psychology partnerships. The" Psychology Partne rship Proj ect 1 ' is a £osum of psychologists who are designing an initiative to forge partnerships through the development of collabo rative programming across educational leve ls (via partnerships among high school , community co ll ege, co ll ege and univers ity fac ult y) and in t h e comm unit y (via partnerships with emp loyers, government agenc ies an d community programs). The project is based on the realization that psychology as a science cannot remain isolated , and partnerships are a key to demonstrating the relevance of psychology as a profession that can enhance people's lives. increasing diversity. Ethni c minorities , particularly African Americans and Hispan ics, are sorely under- represented in psycho logy graduate sch ools an d among university fac ul ty . Gender ineq ui ties persist in terms of salaries, and the pursuit of tenure and promotion

T he stated purpose of the American Psychological Association is to "advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human we lfare. " This mantra r eflects the broad range of professional ac tiviti es psychologists engage in. As a discipli ne devoted to the st udy and understanding of behavior , the field as a whole is witnessing a shift in its priorities. In the next century , psychology must contin u e to go beyond the scrutiny of the individual in the laboratory and to demonstrate its usefulness in address ing real - life iss u es. A review of the two fl agship publications of the APA, American P~cho logist and APA Monitor, reveals a remarkable r ange of topics under investigation. Areas psychologists are exp l oring include g l obal and international problems such as ethnic conflicts , prevention of domestic violence and sexual aggression, psychological concerns related to aging, prevention of violence and depression among adolescents and children, the impact of technology on mental h ealth, the controversy over prescription privileges for psychologists, mental health care reform in the age of managed care, the prevention of chronic mental illness , women's health concerns , the impact of urbanization on psychologi ca l well-being and the growth of the neurosciences in the study ofbrain-behav'ior interactions. At the same t ime, psychologists in higher education seek new ways in wh ich to app ly their know l edge and research to societa l issues. At the coll ege an d univers ity level , ch anges in th e approach to teaching psychology wi ll point the way for graduates to succeed in their pursuit of solut ions. Four areas in particular are crucial to their success : Redefining scholarship. Over the years , teaching and service activities have taken a back seat to research

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continues to be a more treacherous vent ure for women . On the oth er hand , there are some indications of positive change. The number of women b e ing admitted to gr adu ate sch ools has rapi dly increased across a ll

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programs in psycho logy. And the current president of the APA, Richard Suinn ,

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