Welcome New Faculty Member Dr. Mitra

Advocacy Workshop Series

In the fall 2021 semester, the Psychology Department hosted the workshop series “Mobilizing for Change: Building Your Advocacy Skills.” It provided undergraduate students and community members with training on connecting social science research to public policy. While there has been increased attention to training graduate students in advocacy (e.g., Mallinckrodt, Miles, & Levy, 2014), little attention has been given to developing advocacy skills in undergraduate students. With few exceptions (e.g., Campbell, 1996), undergraduate students are not typically taught to connect social science research to public policy. 

SU-Pandit Deendayal Energy University Partnership

The Fulton School, and specifically the Psychology Department, at Salisbury University have begun a partnership with the School of Liberal Studies at Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU). PDEU is in Gandhinagar city in the Western state of Gujarat, India. As a part of this partnership, SU’s Dr. Maarten Pereboom, Fulton School dean; Dr. Meredith Patterson, Psychology Department chair; and psychology faculty Drs. Michèle Schlehofer and Rachel Steele have worked with Nigam Dave, director of the School of Liberal Studies at PDEU, and Dr. Ritu Sharma, dean of the School of Liberal Studies at PDEU, to create intercultural exchange opportunities for students at both universities.

Fall Special Topics Course: Caste in India and the U.S.

Psychology professors Drs. Michèle Schlehofer and Rachel Steele co-taught an innovative semester-long hybrid course, Caste in India and the U.S., with an intercultural exchange component between students from Salisbury University and Pandit Deendayal Energy University. All students engaged in intergroup dialogue through hybrid Zoom sessions and heard from an array of interdisciplinary guest speakers. The course was centered on Isabel Wilkerson’s book, Caste: Origins of our Discontents, and Schlehofer and Steele supplemented the book with research and theory on anti-Black racism and casteism. Students completed a final project on what they gained from the intercultural exchange and applied course concepts to develop an anti-racist action. This course expanded on an online course that Schlehofer and Steele taught during the winter 2021 term, which included two public events. Circumstances permitting, the goal is to plan additional intercultural exchange opportunities between SU and PDEU. This course is just one effort among many to address diversity in the Psychology Department. For updates see our website or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

September 8, 2021, guest speaker Dr. Tarun Shah of PDEU

SU-PDEU Dialogue on Liberal Arts

The Indian and American Dialogue series on liberal arts was hosted by SU’s Fulton School and the School of Liberal Studies at Pandit Deendayal Energy University. Talks were held virtually, and speakers included Dr. Maarten Pereboom, dean of the Fulton School; Dr. Karl Maier, psychology professor; Dr. Chrys Egan, associate dean of the Fulton School; and Dr. Brian Stiegler, associate provost for international education. The three talks covered topics such as the importance of liberal studies, climate change and professional development.

Alumni Spotlight: Ashley Shepherd, 2021

Supporting Psychology Students Financially

We need your help to provide our students the research and service opportunities that go beyond strictly textbook learning. Your gift, no matter the size, combined with others, will help the Psychology Department give our students the skills needed to succeed in various human services fields. Your investment will support valuable training experience in a range of clinical settings and scientific research. If you wish to give a financial gift please consider donating.

If you would like to be featured in a future newsletter, we would love to hear from you.

Please email Dr. Rachel Steele at rrsteele@salisbury.edu.