This week, President Fran Brown announced that The Michigan School of Professional Psychology (MSP) is now The Michigan School of Psychology (MSP). The name change transition will continue over the next several months. Below we share some insight into the whys and hows of this exciting process.
Our Vision: Healthy people. Healthy relationships. Healthy communities.
Our Mission: Educate psychologists today, who will transform our world tomorrow.
Core Values: We respect every person, period. We value genuine relationships. We practice what we teach.
Over the past year, a conversation has been taking place on campus about our vision for the future. We have been asking key existential questions about how our values and our mission frame the work that we do in training future psychologists.
We asked – What do we value most? What is our purpose for being? What are the strengths that make us unique?
This conversation was driven by campus expansion plans already underway to increase our community education space and create the Michigan School Clinic, a training clinic that will provide the surrounding community with access to low-cost, high-quality mental health care services.
We wanted to communicate more clearly with a wider audience about who we are and what we can offer. We needed to simplify our message. The time had come to rename our institution to match our transformation.
The renaming process was a collaborative effort that included input from students, faculty, staff, and the Board of Trustees. We took an inclusive approach because we believe every voice matters. Part of the renaming effort involved a clarification of MSP’s Vision and Mission. Above are the results of this creative collaboration.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our New Name
The name change is one component of a major effort recently undertaken to increase awareness of the institution as a graduate school of psychology. We recognized a need to simplify our message in order to communicate who we are to a wider public audience.
The name change is part of an effort to simplify the message about who we are as a graduate school of psychology.
MSP’s renaming is also part of a campus expansion that includes a training clinic that will provide the surrounding community with access to low-cost, high-quality mental health care services. A primary goal of the clinic is to become a resource for affordable psychological and educational testing for adults, children and local school systems.
The renaming process was a collaboration that included input from students, faculty, staff, and the Board of Trustees. We were also aware the many peer institutions who were previously known as a “School of Professional Psychology” were also in the process of a name change to provide clarification on institutional purpose and goals in the past several years.
Established in 1980 as the Center for Humanistic Studies, The Michigan School of Psychology was originally located in downtown Detroit. The school moved to its present location in Farmington Hills in 2003, with a name change in 2006 to the Michigan School of Professional Psychology. Now in 2018, our name has changed again to better communicate our identity.
While the name has already been changed to the Michigan School of Psychology, the major transition to the new name is planned for October 1 with additional steps occurring throughout the fall. MSP is working closely with a local marketing agency and will provide regular updates to our community.
The name change will be journey of many steps. MSP staff are working together with community partners to update all of our print and digital materials, signs, website, and numerable other resources. Regular updates will be shared in our e-newsletter, social media, and printed notices in the coming months.
Beginning in October 2018, the “Michigan School of Psychology” will appear on your transcript.
Starting in October 2018, diplomas will be issues with the “Michigan School of Psychology” name. Diplomas that are ordered by alumni as a replacement copy will have the former name of the school listed as well.
Beginning in October 2018, the “Michigan School of Psychology” will appear on transcripts issued by the school. However, in higher education, it is standard procedure for a school name change to be referenced and explained on official transcripts and this will be listed in the transcript key
We recommend stating that you attended, graduated from, or were employed by the Michigan School of Psychology (formerly known as MiSPP or in some cases CHS)
We are excited to increase the presence and impact of MSP in our local community and in the wider international world of psychology. Faculty and staff will benefit from the greater visibility of our institution as a graduate school in clinical psychology and from the opportunity to engage in our training clinic. MSP continues to attract a diverse pool of engaged, passionate faculty who pursue excellence in clinical practice and research.
Stay tuned to regular updates on our website, social media, and in our monthly e-newsletters. Don’t receive our newsletters yet? Sign up here.
