After 10 Years of Service, Dr. Michael Horowitz Announces Transition from Chicago School of Professional Psychology Presidency

Search for Eighth President of TCSPP Underway, Dr. Horowitz to Serve Full Time as CEO of TCS Education System

CHICAGO, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a series of campus forums and letters to students this month, Dr. Michael Horowitz announced that later this year he will conclude his 10-year run as president of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP).

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A national search, led by the Board of Trustees, has begun to find the eighth president of TCSPP, the largest nonprofit school of its kind in the nation. Dr. Horowitz will continue to have strong ties to the school though as he transitions to serve full time as president and CEO of TCS Education System, a nonprofit organization that includes The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

"Serving The Chicago School of Professional Psychology over the past 10 years has been among the most rewarding journeys of my life," said Dr. Horowitz. "It's been an honor working alongside students, faculty, staff, and alumni to advance our innovative approach to psychology education to new frontiers, students, and communities. I cannot begin to express how proud I am of what we have accomplished together. Our work is only beginning though, and I'm convinced that the next president will continue our momentum and take us even further in terms of quality and prestige."

The new president will carry on President Horowitz's work of advancing The Chicago School of Professional Psychology's mission on a national scale while ensuring that the academic, operational, and financial thread that connects the school's campuses to each other is preserved and strengthened. The new president will also be a leading voice for professional psychology education and an advocate for expanding the benefits of psychology and related behavioral sciences.

The successful candidate will succeed TCSPP's longest-serving president. When Dr. Horowitz arrived in June 2000, the school was a single-program, single-campus institution with 215 students. Today, the enrollment exceeds 3,000 students who study at one of five on-ground locations and in online/blended programs. With a Chicago Campus and suburban satellite, three campuses in Southern California, and approval pending for a Washington, D.C. Campus, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology has emerged as a national institution of prominence with more than 20 degree programs spanning all branches of psychology and behavioral sciences. Over the last decade and under President Horowitz's leadership, TCSPP has also become a recognized source of innovative approaches to behavioral science training, scholarship, applications, and service to the community. New initiatives charted under his stewardship include the Center for Latino Mental Health, Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education, The Chicago School Forensic Center, Center for International Studies, and Garfield Park Preparatory Academy, a K-8 public contract school that began in fall 2009 as part of the Chicago Public School Renaissance 2010 initiative.

"What Michael Horowitz accomplished in his time at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is a remarkable story," said Trustee George Mitchell, a past TCSPP president and co-chair of the search committee. "What began as a vision to expand the benefits and applications of psychology to new people and places is now a reality. He is leaving the school in a place unimaginable a decade ago."

"He built a culture of innovation internally, which resulted in the school having the means to make a greater impact externally," added Trustee Edward Bergmark, also co-chairing the search committee. "The new programs established under his leadership at The Chicago School resulted in new faculty, staff, and students, who brought fresh enthusiasm and connections for our mission. This perpetual cycle of innovation and new ideas is one of the chief legacies that Dr. Horowitz will pass on to the next president."

Dr. Horowitz will remain the national leader of TCSPP until the new president is seated, which is expected to take place between the end of the 2009-2010 academic year and the beginning of the fall semester. From there his work will be focused exclusively on TCS Education System, which features a network of specialized institutions that offer a fundamentally new approach to higher education, one that prepares socially responsible, culturally competent professionals in applied fields such as psychology, health and human services, and education. Other system entities include early childhood and K-12 schools devoted to delivering a progressive, evidence-based curriculum; an online education delivery and services division; and TCS Foundation, which cultivates charitable contributions to support social change endeavors throughout the system.

About The Chicago School of Professional Psychology:

Founded in 1979, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is the nation's leading nonprofit graduate school dedicated exclusively to the applications of psychology and related behavioral sciences. TCS is an active member of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, which has recognized The Chicago School for its distinguished service and outstanding contributions to cultural diversity and advocacy. The Chicago School's community service initiatives resulted in recognition on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to disadvantaged youth. In 2009, the school was named to The Chronicle of Higher Education's annual list of "Great Colleges to Work For." For more information about TCSPP, visit www.thechicagoschool.edu. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gradpsychology. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thechicagoschool.

For more information on the search for the next president of TCSPP, visit www.thechicagoschool.edu/president_search.

SOURCE The Chicago School of Professional Psychology