For students who are considering applying to graduate programs in Psychology at URI, we think it is important to provide a brief introduction to our central commitment to a diverse and supportive community of scholars.
1. How committed is the University of Rhode Island to diversity?
The University of Rhode Island places great importance on the recruitment and success of a diverse student body. URI President Robert Carothers has identified diversity issues as a top priority of our institution. The campus is served by our Multicultural Center, which reflects our commitment to a positive valuing of diversity and supports culturally diverse national and international student organizations and associations such as African Awareness, Asian American Students, Cape Verdean Students, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Association, Haitian Students Association, Higher Calling Gospel Choir, Latin American Students, Multicultural Student Alliance, Multiethnic Student Association, and Multiethnic Graduate Association, Muslim Student Association, NAACP of URI, Sigma Lambda Upsilon Sorority, Students Organized Against Racism, and Uhuru Sa Sa. The Multicultural Center also organizes the annual campus Diversity Week, held in the Fall, an opportunity to celebrate and learn more about the differences we bring to our shared academic life. In 2005, URI joined the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), as a reflection of its commitment to the success of Hispanic students in higher education, becoming the only higher education institution in the state to do so.
2. How committed is the Psychology Department to diversity?
The Psychology Department is highly committed to the development of culturally competent professional psychologists. This commitment is explicitly reflected in our mission statement, and in our Multicultural Competency requirement for all graduate students.
The work of the Department's Task Force on Multicultural Awareness and Diversity and the standing Affirmative Action Committee are excellent examples of faculty and students working together to build a psychology program that is responsive to the needs of a diverse America.
The Psychology Department has taken a leadership role on campus in matters of diversity and multicultural awareness as evidenced by the co-sponsorship of the annual Diversity Week program, and our award-winning collaboration with the URI Multicultural Center.
Our graduate programs are of high quality, are APA accredited (clinical and school), and have an increasing number of students of color. For example, 18% of Behavioral Science students, 32% of Clinical Psychology students and 14% of the student body within the School Psychology program are students of color and a growing number of our Behavioral Science and School Psychology students are bilingual.
The Clinical Psychology program was recognized in 2003 with an “Honorable Mention” by APA’s Suinn Minority Achievement Award.
3. What special sources of funding and financial support are available?
Every year the URI Graduate School awards Minority Fellowships to qualified students, and our students are often recipients of these awards. Several regular sources of support are also relevant: Departmental graduate teaching assistantships, grant-funded Research Assistantships, Graduate Assistantships in other University programs (including the Multicultural Center, Disabilities Services, and Talent Development), and community agency placements. The federal agency NIH has funded students and faculty on existing research projects at the Cancer Prevention Research Center using funding from “Research Support for Underrepresented Minorities.” There are state and federal funded opportunities through the partnership of the Psychology Consultation Center and Rhode Island Department of Correction that give students significant exposure to a culturally and ethnically diverse clinically challenging population in a correctional setting. Research assistantships often engage with topics that incorporate diversity-related issues. Some other forms of financial assistance are available through the URI Graduate Student Association, URI Health Promotion Partnership, and the URI Family Research Partnership.
In addition, other sources of funding should be highlighted including the APA Minority Fellowship Program (for more information visit www.apa.org), the Rhode Island School Psychologists Association Minority Scholarship Award offered on an annual basis (www.rispa.org), and the National Association of School Psychologists which funds an annual Minority Scholarship Award (www.nasponline.org). The graduate student association within APA, APAGS, also accepts applications for scholarships and awards here.
4. How does the graduate curriculum address multicultural issues?
Several courses address the psychology of diversity and multicultural competence. The Department’s course, PSY600 Multicultural Issues in Psychology, is a recommended experience for all graduate students, and can be used to meet one element of the multicultural competency requirement. Examples of other courses include: PSY625 Psychology of Trauma, PSY672 Multicultural Practicum, PSY690 Women's and Men's Health, PSY692 Directed Readings/Research, and PSY696 Practicum in Teaching Psychology.
The Department recently endorsed the establishment of the Multicultural Focus area, a concentration in multicultural psychology involving several courses and experiences, that is undergoing development.
5. What are some examples of faculty interests in diversity issues?
Paul Bueno de Mesquita (Primary prevention, mental health consultation, problem-based learning, child development, exceptionalities, diversity, nonviolence, and social emotional learning)
Charles Collyer (Psychology of violence and non-violence)
Paul Florin (Community psychology, substance abuse in communities of color)
Kathleen Gorman (Developmental, hunger and poverty, cross-cultural psychology)
Lisa Harlow (Friendly science approaches to teaching and increasing women in the sciences; multivariate statistics, methodology, meaning in life, women's health)
Shanette Harris (Gender role behavior and cross-cultural interactions, cross-cultural differences in drug behavior and self-image, cognitive/behavioral therapy for individuals and groups)
Patricia Morokoff (Gender and cultural issues in sexuality: HIV prevention) Nansook Park (Psychological well-being, cultural and developmental factors in life satisfaction)
Kathryn Quina (Multicultural teaching, sexual abuse, HIV, women in prison)
Margaret Rogers (Cross-cultural training of psychologists, cross-cultural school psychology competencies, and recruitment and retention of students of color)
Lynda Stein (Incarcerated adolescents, substance abuse)
John Stevenson (Evaluation research in multicultural settings; empowerment of participants in community health promotion research)
Emeritus Faculty
Al Lott (Social psychology and men's studies)
Bernice Lott (Interpersonal discrimination; multicultural issues; gender issues; social learning; feminist psychology; poverty and social class)
6. What are some examples of faculty publications on diversity issues?
In addition to the interests described above, several of the faculty has been recognized nationally for their publications on multicultural issues and topics. Examples of the most recent publications include:
Chin, J. L., Lott, B., Rice, J. K., & Sanchez-Huclos, J. (Eds.) (2007).
Women and leadership: Transforming visions and diverse voices. Malden, MA: Blackwell.Dutton, L. B., & Winstead, B. A. (2006).
Predicting unwanted pursuit: Attachment, relationship satisfaction, relationship alternatives, and breakup distress. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 565–586.Gazabon, S. A., Morokoff, P. J., Harlow, L. L., Ward, R. M., & Quina, K. (2007).
Applying the transtheoretical model to ethnically diverse women at risk for HIV. Health Education and Behavior, 34, 297-314.Golding, C. (2006).
Re-defining the nuclear family: An exploration of resiliency in lesbian parenting. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 18(1/2), 22–62.Gorman, K. S., Horton, K .D., & Houser, R. F. (2007).
Food security, hunger, and food stamp participation among low-income working families in Rhode Island. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 1, 105–125.Hall, K. L., Robbins, M. L., Paiva, A., Knott, J. E., Harris, L., & Mattice, B. (2007).
Donation intentions among African American college students: Decisional balance and self-efficacy measures. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30, 483–495.Harlow, L. L., Eber, H., Boodoo, G., Whitfield, K., Widaman, K., & Velicer, W. (2007, October).
Four-year formative evaluation of Quantitative Training for Underrepresented Groups (QTUG). Published in Proceedings of Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology, Chapel Hill, NC.Harlow, L. L. (2008, August).
Fulbright event: Widening the halls and lowering the walls of quantitative science. International Office, American Psychological Association annual conference, Boston, MA.Harlow, L. L. (2008, July).
Advanced research methods and statistics (Invited Address). Presented for the Minority Fellows Program of the American Psychological Association Psychology Summer Institute, Washington, DC.Hoffman, A. M., Redding, C. A., Goldberg, D., Anel, D., Prochaska, J. O., Meyer, P. M., & Pandey, D. (2006).
Computer expert systems for African-American smokers in physicians offices: A feasibility study. Preventive Medicine, 43, 204–211.Lott, B., & Bullock, H. E. (2007).
Psychology and economic injustice: Personal, professional, and political intersections. Washington, DC: APA.Lott, B., & Webster, K. (2006).
Carry the banner where it can be seen: Small wins for social justice. Social Justice Research, 19, 123-134.Peipert, J. F., Lapane, K., Allsworth, J., Redding, C., Blume, J. L., & Stein, M. (2008).
Bacterial vaginosis, race, and sexually transmitted infections: Does race modify the association? Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 35, 363–367.Pelletier, H., Lamb, A., Burditt, C., & Flannery-Schroeder, E. (2007, October).
Gender differences in rates of childhood trauma. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the New England Psychological Association, Danbury, CT.Quinlan, K., Bowleg, L., & Faye Ritz, S. (2008).
Virtually invisible women: Women with disabilities in mainstream psychological theory and research. Review of Disability Studies, 4, 4-17.Ritz, S. F. (2005).
Stigma of poverty: The nature and implications of everyday classism. Presentation at the American Psychological Association annual convention. Washington, DC.Rodriguez, M., Pasupuleti, R., Schlicting, B., & Flannery-Schroeder, E. (2007, November).
Investigation of ethnic differences in the levels of anxiety in children. Poster presented at the 41st annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.Rogers, M. R., & Molina, L. (2006).
Recruiting and retaining graduate students of color: Exemplary efforts in psychology. American Psychologist. 61, 143-156.Rogers, M. R., & O’Bryon, E. C. (2008).
Advocating for social justice: The context for change in school psychology. School Psychology Review.7. How can I learn more about opportunities for pursuing a graduate degree in Psychology at the University of Rhode Island?
Check us out on the World Wide Web! Learn more about the University, the Psychology Department, and our graduate programs by visiting our web pages:
Psychology Department http://www.uri.edu/artsci/psy (401)874-2193
Multicultural Center http://www.uri.edu/mutic/mission.html (401)874-2851
Drop us an e-mail message and
chat with our faculty
about our programs:
Behavioral Science: Dr. Joe Rossi jsrossi@uri.edu
Clinical Psychology: Dr. Ellen Flannery-Schroeder efschroeder@uri.edu
School Psychology: Dr. Gary Stoner gstoner@uri.edu
Contact our Graduate Admissions Office: psyadmin@etal.uri.edu
