National Science Foundation Provides $1.8 Million Grant to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology for Academic Leadership Graduate Certificate Program

Program to Focus on Women of Color at Black Colleges and Universities

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP), the nation's largest nonprofit graduate school, has received a three-year award of $1,871,373 from the National Science Foundation (NSF), for a project entitled "TCS Academic Leadership Graduate Certificate Program" (HRD-1217427). 

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This grant will support the development and delivery of a new Academic Leadership Graduate Certificate in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

TCSPP will build upon its groundbreaking program in Organizational Development, which helps students assume leadership roles. The two programs will now merge to serve a key national priority: Ensuring that more women—especially Women of Color—realize their potential as powerful and effective leaders in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), specifically at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It is well documented that women are underrepresented in academia, and even more severely in STEM.

"On behalf of our Board of Trustees and faculty, TCSPP is pleased to earn the trust of the National Science Foundation to prepare the next generation of multi-cultural women faculty in STEM for a  changing and  more challenging workforce," Dr. Nealon-Woods, TCSPP's National President said.        

TCSPP's commitment to diversity and solid experience in leadership training, we are uniquely positioned to address this need."

Orlando L. Taylor, Ph.D., President of The Chicago School's Washington, D.C. campus, is principal investigator, and will oversee the project. Dr. Taylor is a national leader in both graduate and higher education and is a respected member of the HBCU community having served as Howard University's Vice Provost of Research and Graduate School Dean.  He will be joined by four co-project directors with documented knowledge and experience in the HBCU culture, gender equity issues, the art and science of leadership/organizational psychology, and/or STEM. They are:  Drs. Martha Lappan and Joneis Thomas of the Washington, D.C. Campus, and Drs. Linda Liang and Michael Barr of the Online-Blended Programs.

"This award is consistent with The Chicago School's commitment to access and equity for all Americans, particularly as they relate to the national need for STEM disciplines.  The preparation of women leaders in STEM at HBCUs is especially important because of their high enrollment of women students and their disproportionately large production of African Americans and others who later get doctoral degrees and enter the science and engineering workforce," Dr. Taylor explained.

The new program will serve three groups of 15 participants each for a total of 45 students. The project's design is grounded in interdisciplinary theory and research in organizational psychology and higher education, and will build upon TCSPP's "Engaged Professional Model of Education," which creatively integrates a student's professional education at HBCUs with authentic leadership experiences. The program will be led by a team of experts with proven knowledge and leadership in senior administration at HBCUs, multicultural education, academic programming in leadership, and gender psychology.

According to 2009 statistics, HBCUs, which represent only 3% of U.S. colleges and universities, graduate approximately 25% of African Americans with undergraduate degrees. In many of the STEM disciplines, these same institutions graduate an even higher percentage--roughly 40%. African American women represent 70% of the HBCU population.  In the STEM disciplines, HBCUs produce a critical mass of female STEM majors. Spelman College, for example, with only 1,500 female students, graduates more African American women who later obtain Ph.D.s in the STEM fields than any other school in the nation. The presence of diverse faculty and leaders is often critical to the success of African American women in colleges and universities. The program's design holds promise to serve as a model for TCSPP campuses in Chicago and Southern California, and among its professional networks.

About The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Founded in 1979, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) is the nation's leading nonprofit graduate school dedicated exclusively to the applications of psychology and related behavioral sciences. The school is an active member of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, which has recognized TCSPP for its distinguished service and outstanding contributions to cultural diversity and advocacy. The school's community service initiatives have resulted in five consecutive years of recognition on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, including the additional "With Distinction" honor in 2012.  TCSPP's campuses are located in Chicago; Los Angeles, Westwood, and Irvine, California; and Washington, D.C. For more information about The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, visit www.thechicagoschool.edu. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gradpsychology. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thechicagoschool.

MEDIA CONTACT: Elinor Gilbert
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SOURCE The Chicago School of Professional Psychology