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'Welcome' spells the route to a better climateFormer APA President Richard M. Suinn, PhD, who created the Suinn Minority Achievement Awards to honor programs that are promoting diversity in creative ways (see "Diversity: More than numbers"), gives this blueprint for creating an atmosphere that is welcoming to students of all backgrounds. According to Suinn, such programs provide: Welcoming activities: Personal contacts with potential students; relevant informational/welcoming brochures; open relationships with possible feeder schools; and targeted recruitment of ethnic-minority or other students representing diverse backgrounds.
Entrance standards and equitable admissions: Flexible entrance standards that evaluate personal statements and references, not just test scores. Leadership: Passionate leaders who will assure an integrated approach, follow-through and continuity. Commitment: Dedication by the program faculty, administration and students to creating a welcoming and supportive environment so that minority students feel accepted as an integral part of the academic community. Orientation session: A formal orientation to help new minority students negotiate the graduate school experience. Money, mentoring, morale: Faculty that help students tap as many funding sources as possible; buddy systems and supportive faculty mentors; and the fostering of student expectations that they will succeed rather than simply avoid failure. Environment, expectations: An ultimate goal of establishing an environment that expects minority students to graduate instead of simply meeting quotas, and a shift away from special attention to improve diversity to diversity becoming a mainstream expectation. —T. DeAngelis Also in the Cover Package …
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