Argosy University closed in March 2019, disrupting the lives and academic progress of thousands of students. It threatened the future of professional psychology as approximately 10% of the nation’s clinical psychology students were displaced. This panel presentation will discuss the implications of this closure for the students affected and for the institutions who have responded to the crisis. The panel will also present lessons and ongoing challenges for NCSPP and other organizations seeking to meet the future mental health needs of the communities we serve. The panel will present how the responses of different organizations, including APPIC, ASPPB, and APA, affected the events at Argosy and the outcomes for students, and consider the continuing challenges and opportunities for NCSPP to assist and address the training needs of these future psychologists. Hundreds of former Argosy students have transitioned to continue their education at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) under a special articulation agreement. This involved integrating students to a new educational culture which includes social justice explicitly in its mission and program specific competencies. A survey of these students indicates that in addition to financial hardships, disrupted academic and training progress, and significant emotional and family stress, many students became more focused on social justice, advocacy, and policy. The lessons from this crisis and transition will be discussed to provide recommendations for programs managing future institutional change. This will include implications for training and supporting students developing into socially responsive psychologists who will be active in leading social change.
Learning Objectives:
1) Participants will be able to describe the challenges and opportunities for NCSPP and its members in assisting and addressing the training needs of future psychologists affected by the closure of Argosy University.
2) Participants will be able to describe how programs can manage future institutional and programmatic change with a focus on training socially responsive psychologists who will be active in leading social change.
3) Participates will be able to describe the findings of research on the impact of academic disruption on vulnerable students, the role of institutional and faculty support, and the implications for NCSPP members and educational policy.