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Inclusive Excellence

Addressing Inclusive Excellence in Psychology (DIVE-IN):
Our Responsibility and Our Commitment

It has become a truism to say that diversity (in racial/ethnic group membership, gender identity/expression, language, etc.) is something to be cultivated and valued. Many reasons may be cited for this – ranging from moral or social justice concerns to practical or economic motivations – given that our varied and global world increasingly requires us to work and interact with those who may be different from us.

A focus on diversity is particularly important for students of psychology, since psychology is the study of human experience and humans are incredibly diverse.

The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M recognizes that the discipline has not always been particularly welcoming or inclusive of certain groups. Indeed, in many subfields of psychology, women faculty and members of historically underserved groups in the U.S. were not allowed to get doctoral degrees until well into the 1960s and these groups continue to be underserved at senior ranks, despite ever-growing numbers of women and members of diverse groups among undergraduate and graduate students.

At Texas A&M we are working to change this profile even as we recognize that progress is slow and incremental. We welcome your suggestions, your participation, and your support as we work towards a more inclusive environment and one that values all members of our community.

Members of the Psychology Diversity and Inclusion Committee include staff, students, and faculty representing different training areas in the department.  If you are a prospective student, staff, or faculty member, or an existing member of the department and have questions or comments for us we would welcome hearing from you.

The 2022-2023 Faculty Inclusive Excellence Committee members include:

Dr. Joshua Hicks
Dr. Mary Meagher
Dr. Joytsna Vaid
Dr. Rachel Smith
Dr. Vani Mathur
Theresa Hernandez, Graduate Student Representative

In addition, passionate undergraduate and graduate students actively meet as part of the Psychology Department’s Student Diversity and Inclusion Committee. If you are a psychology student interested in joining our committee, please contact Dr. Isaac Sabat for more information.

The 2022-2023 Student Inclusive Excellence Committee members include:

Dr. Isaac Sabat, Faculty Sponsor
Theresa Hernandez, Graduate Student Representative
Emeline Chesnik
Alannah Blank
Ruthika Kella
Anoosha Budhwani
Analisa Ochoa
Kaylin Willis
Juliana Ramirez
Jacey Henrichs
Dulce Hernandez
Sowmiya Selvaraju
Allison Nors
Astrid Villareal

We also house a research cluster in Diversity Science that bridge traditional areas of psychology. Visit us for more information about this area, and the people in the  department who are conducting cutting-edge on diversity related issues.

Below is a list of resources relevant to inclusive excellence at Texas A&M.