hkatz@suffolk.edu

As the former Chair of the Cultural Diversity Committee it has been my challenge and honor to help raise the consciousness of the department to it's concerns, and in a broader sense to raise the quality of training of the department for the purpose of sending students out into the increasingly diverse society. With the support of the Dean of the College and the President of the University, we have had the privilege of awarding two Outreach Fellowships covering full tuition for doctoral students for each of their first three years in the Clinical Psychology program. These fellowships have helped propel recipients to do research and clinical work with underserved populations from all diverse backgrounds, and thus directly engage in connecting the field of Psychology with emerging populations within society who need to benefit from psychological research and services. The reality of increasing diversity within society presents the field with both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is for the field to increase its relevance for the people who it intends to serve. The opportunity is for the field to embrace the richness of knowledge offered by diverse people and the cultures which they represent. These challenges and opportunities are therefore also presented to the Psychology Department. Members of the Diversity Committee have all experienced these challenges and opportunities in their own lives in various ways, and we are all committed to furthering their development within the department, and beyond, into the future. We welcome all potential students who share these aims to apply to our graduate (and undergraduate) programs and to participate in fulfilling our goals. We are also committed to making students from all backgrounds feel welcome within the Psychology Department. Finally, we invite and encourage all students applying to the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program who share our goals to apply for the Outreach Fellowship. Together, we can further advance our aims and goals, both within the department and within the society.