Mission Statement

The faculty of the Department of Psychology seeks to create a learning community in which faculty and students alike acquire and share knowledge about the psychological experiences and behavior of human beings and animals. Our effort in this regard emphasizes a method that uses controlled and, wherever possible, experimental strategies to study individuals and groups. We strive to nurture among ourselves a rigorous skepticism in the search for truth, an appreciation of the development of psychology within the history of ideas, and a recognition of how the methods of psychology are applied across the diverse sub-areas of the field. We foster the development of those attributes of awareness, thought, and judgment necessary for the professional application of psychological knowledge and for personal enrichment. In our efforts to educate one another and serve the community at large, we recognize the guiding ethical principles of the American Psychological Association and the Mission Statement of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. The Department of Psychology values and cherishes that its faculty members, staff, and students are from diverse backgrounds in regard to their ethnicity, faith, gender, sexual orientation, age, language, socioeconomic status, nationality, culture, and ability. As a department we are committed to creating an environment that both facilitates intellectual growth and awareness of multicultural issues and that is supportive of individuals from diverse backgrounds. We are committed to advancing the state of knowledge within psychology and to sharing our knowledge, talents, and resources with the broader communities in which we exist.