The Department of Psychology at Bemidji State University is dedicated to preparing students who will apply their psychological knowledge in an increasingly diverse world. We strive to create and sustain a welcoming, supportive and inclusive environment.

Diversity Mission Statement

Accomplishing this mission requires a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds. Diversity enriches both our department and the science of psychology. We strive to cultivate an inclusive community that values diverse questions, viewpoints, approaches and participants to foster ingenuity, challenge biases and promote intellectual growth.

Therefore, it it important to us to attract individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, including undergraduate majors, faculty, staff and student workers. The Department of Psychology seeks applications from all races and ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds and religions.

Within the Department of Psychology, our efforts to promote diversity are led by our Diversity Committee, a group of faculty and students who coordinate and oversee continuing efforts build our community, with consultation from undergraduate students. This commitment to diversity is part of a broader effort at Bemidji State that includes campus resources such as the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and American Indian Resource Center, and student groups such as the Council of Indian Students, International Student Organization and the Phoenix (supporting LGBTQIA2+ students).

Six Overarching Goals to Support our Commitment to Diversity

  1. Create and sustain a welcoming, supportive and inclusive departmental climate.
  2. Attract and retain greater numbers of individuals from under-represented populations into faculty and staff, including student workers.
  3. Attract, retain and graduate increasing numbers of students from historically under-represented populations, particularly Indigenous students, as well as international students.
  4. Ensure that curricular requirements reflect our department’s commitment to diversity and social justice.
  5. Prepare students to become teachers, researchers and clinicians in a diverse world.
  6. Develop and strengthen departmental partnerships with diverse communities on a local, state, national and international levels.

Methods for Promoting and Maintaining Diversity

  • Diversity Statement on syllabi — All psychology courses now contain the diversity mission statement about the importance of diversity in the department.
  • Diversity Assessment — Through the course evaluations at the end of each semester, students are asked to evaluate how well each course has met goals related to diversity.
  • Diversity Speakers — At least once a semester the psychology department, sometimes in collaboration with another department, hosts a speaker on campus to talk about an issue related to diversity.
  • Diversity Research Promotion — We promote research on and with diverse populations and topics, conducted by either or both faculty and students.

See our department’s BSU Psychology Diversity Strategic Plan for information on the objectives, strategies and benchmarks for meeting our commitments to diversity.

Coursework

Because we recognize that culture is vital in understanding human behavior, discussion of culture, diversity and the effects of prejudice, discrimination and oppression are incorporated into individual courses. In addition, the department offers several courses in which cultural factors are a primary focus:

  • Multicultural Psychology
  • Human Sexuality
  • Death and Culture
  • Psychology of Women and Gender
  • Psychology of Disability and Ableism

Students can enhance their degree in psychology with courses from other programs:

Research

Student Organizations and Campus Support

Diverse Connections

Supporting the Department of Psychology’s commitment to multiculturalism and diversity, we have initiated a monthly conversation about a range of diversity-centered topics that we are calling Diverse Conversations. These conversations are held over the lunch hour at BSU’s Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to provide easy access for students, faculty and staff who are getting lunch in Hobson Memorial Union.

One of the primary objectives of Diverse Conversations is to bring BSU community members together in conversations about critical topics of diversity and inclusion and to foster the normative expectation of culturally competent communication in the process. These conversations are open to anyone who wishes to participate.