Colleagues, as the semester ends, I’d like to accomplish a few things:

First and most importantly, for our graduating students:  Congratulations!!

For those undergraduates crossing the stage in San Diego on Friday, I wish you the best as you embark on your careers.  I trust that you will consider graduate education, perhaps in a mental health field.  Your services will be needed.

For our graduating psychology, CFT, OP and LPCC students, first the bad news:  You all know that graduation doesn’t mean that you’ve taken your last exam.  Those of you in licensure tracks have the joy of national and state licensing exams to look forward to.  Some of you will want to become board certified, which means, yes, another examination.  My parting advice to you is do not dawdle.  Get licensed as quickly as possible.  As your classes have taught you, memory decays at variable rates, but trust me, knowledge of statistics decays faster than anything.  Take your exams as quickly as you can so you can put that hurdle behind you.  For those of you eligible for board certification, I strongly encourage you to seek this.  It is a true mark of professional achievement.

Now the good news:  You’ve worked hard to achieve something of great distinction.  As you’ve likely heard me say, less than 6% of the US population has a master’s degree, less than 3% a professional doctoral degree.  By virtue of your hard work, you are truly privileged.  With any privilege comes responsibility.  I know simply on the basis of your choice of a career that you are aware of this, but I would like to exhort you to extend your concept of responsibility beyond your clients and  patients.  As you are among the most highly educated members of American society, please consider your  responsibility to contribute to the larger public good via involvement in your community and the political process.  For those of you becoming licensed mental health professionals, remember that your profession does not exist by divine fiat.  You are represented at the local, state, and national level by professional organizations that ensure your professional livelihood. Aside from relatively small professional staffs, these organizations are almost exclusively run by volunteers. It’s not only a very good idea to become involved with your profession’s organizations, it’s almost essential for the future well-being of your chosen field.

For all of you, as you know, great change is upon CSPP and the rest of Alliant in the transition to a new corporate structure.  The success of this depends on a number of factors, many of which are frankly outside of our control.  But what won’t change is how essential your involvement in the process is.  As faculty, students and alumni, you have a role in shaping the future of CSPP, so I urge you to continue making your opinions heard and to maintain an active role in the process.

Friday, 13 June will be my last day at CSPP.  Dr. Dalia Ducker has agreed to serve as interim dean until a permanent successor can be found.  Dalia is a superb administrator and educator, with over 30 years experience in CSPP.  She has my utmost confidence and I am certain that she will provide not only excellent leadership but will be a vigorous champion of CSPP’s interests.

I have elected to take a new position, and am honored to have been appointed as the Executive Officer of the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.  I begin that position on 15 July.

In closing, I thank you all for providing me with the opportunity to work with you over the past 6 years.  I have already said goodbye to many of you.  As you know, it is a bittersweet parting for me.  I am tremendously grateful, though, for the many kind things you’ve had to say, and for the knowledge that you will remain committed to the ideals of excellence for CSPP that we have shared in common.  I wish you the best of luck.  My new position will permit me the opportunity to remain involved with you, I look forward to those future meetings and hope that you’ll want to stay in touch.

I will see many of you at our coming graduation ceremonies where we can say goodbye in person.  Until then, congratulations again to our graduates, and congratulations to our faculty, staff, and students on the end of another semester.  I wish you a restful summer break, and, as above, invite you to stay in touch.

If you wish to stay in touch, after July 15, please contact me at morgan@nationalregister.org.

Morgan

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Dr. Morgan T. Sammons Appointed New Executive Officer of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists

About the National Register of Health Service Psychologists

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is the largest credentialing organization for psychologists. Established in 1974, the independent nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving healthcare by identifying psychologists who meet specific credentialing standards, to consumers, healthcare organizations, and regulatory bodies. For more information, visit www.nationalregister.org.