Psychology Students Today and Tomorrow
Department
Psychology
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2010
Abstract
In this chapter, we provide information and suggestions relevant to domains about which postsecondary institutions need to be knowledgeable to ensure that students from all backgrounds, disability statuses, and other personal characteristics subject to stereotyping have access to higher education and opportunities to engage in the intellectual pursuits of our discipline. We address all the domains outlined by the inclusive excellence scorecard (IE; D. A. Williams, Berger, & McClendon, 2005), a comprehensive approach to evaluating diversity progress at higher education institutions. First, we address the access and equity domain by discussing the demographic trends and the ways students vary within undergraduate education in general and in psychology. Second, we address the student learning and development domain by highlighting the intellectual, interpersonal, and intrapersonal changes students experience in college. Third, we address the diversity in the formal and informal curriculum domain by discussing approaches to improving inclusion in the curriculum. Fourth, we address the campus climate domain by discussing the multiple components of campus climate and outlining ways to promote positive climate for students from diverse backgrounds including race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious identification, age, and disability. Finally, we extend the IE scorecard by discussing the ethical issues relating to the decrease in gender diversity in our profession and the balance between recruiting students to our discipline and informing them about the boundaries of a psychology undergraduate degree.