Graduate Studies at Central launches Nursing Education track
Vision
The Department of Psychological Science at Central Connecticut State University strives to be one of the most prestigious departments in New England for public institutions of higher education. We want to be among the top choices for prospective undergraduate and graduate students who want a quality education in the field of psychology in the state of Connecticut.
Mission
The mission of the Department of Psychological Science is to facilitate life-long learning and application of the fundamental concepts, advanced concepts, and research skills of psychological science among our students from diverse background. As faculty, we will prepare them for civic engagement, employment, and/or the pursuit of advanced degrees. We strive to be excellent instructors and mentors, to make scholarly contributions to science and to serve the community in a dedicated and professional manner.
Goals
Undergraduate Students
As Faculty we are committed to partnering with our undergraduates to help them develop a solid knowledge base in psychological science, scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills, communication skills, sociocultural and international awareness, ethical and social responsibility, and applied knowledge in professional settings. Faculty will engage with their students and colleagues, in scholarly activity that adds to the knowledge base of the discipline. Faculty will also engage in continuing professional development to stay current and augment their scholarly and teaching activities. Faculty and students will be actively engaged in the campus, local, and global communities which is informed by empirically-based psychological principles.
Graduate Students
As faculty we are committed to partnering with our graduate students to hone their critical reading and evaluation skills, methodological and analytical skills, professional-level presentations and publications, critical integration and application skills in real-world contexts, and expertise within a specific domain of psychological science. Faculty will engage with their students and colleagues, in scholarly activity that adds to the knowledge base of the discipline. Faculty will also engage in continuing professional development to stay current and augment their scholarly and teaching activities. Faculty and students will be actively engaged in the campus, local, and global communities which is informed by empirically-based psychological principles.
Faculty and Student Spotlights
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Each year, the Central Psychology Club recognizes one professor in the Department of Psychological Science for the Professor of the Year Award. The students in the Department of Psychological Science assist in nominating a professor in which they believe deserves this recognition. On behalf of the Central Psychological Science students, we would like to congratulate Dr. Jason Sikorski for the 2024-2025 faculty award.
The picture with the 4 Central students from left to right are Xiomara Torrez, Paola Acosta Santos, Linda Torres, and Nicholas Hernandez. These students completed the Latino/Hispanic Cultural Competency Training in Developmental Disabilities for Native Spanish Speaker Students at Central.
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Dr. Helena Lucia Swanson and Dr. Holly Brott were selected for the 2024-2025 Community Engaged Scholars Program, hosted by the Center for Community Engagement and Social Research.
Dr. Helena Lucia Swanson led a community-engaged research initiative with the North Central Area Agency on Aging (NCAAA) to strengthen evaluation capacity among its grantees. Four undergraduate students Cailee Sheehan, Erica Dewey, Isabella Krumm, and Yein Cho, played an integral role by assisting with preparing a capacity building workshop, co-facilitating the workshop, and supporting data collection efforts afterwards.
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Form left to right: Maureen McIntyre (CEO NCAAA), Marc Goldstein (Emeritus Faculty and Chair of NCAAA Advisory Board), Dr. Helena Lucia Swanson, Erica Dewey, Isabella Krumm, and Yein Cho (Not pictured: Cailee Sheehan)
Dr. Holly Brott developed and implemented a community-engaged research project into one of her courses (PSY 550: Community Psychology). Her students worked in small teams to conduct community-engaged research with Central's new Community Health Education Clinic. This project supported students in building key competencies for practice, as outlined by the Society for Community Research and Action (American Psychological Association, Division 27), including the ability to partner with community stakeholders to support organizational capacity building, and the ability to work with community partners to plan and conduct research that is contextually appropriate while maintaining high standards of scientific evidence.
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