Dear Members of the MSP Community,
As I write my first message to you as MSP President, I am filled with a sense of enthusiasm, anticipation, and optimism. I also have a deep feeling of gratitude for the confidence placed in me by the people of this institution as I take on this new role. I come to MSP with a couple of decades of experience in the practice of clinical psychology, teaching, and research. Additionally, I’ve spent the past 15 years or so working in higher education administration, most recently serving for nine years as a university president. As I’ve reflected about the future of MSP over the past few months, in so many ways I’ve developed a deep sense of the connections between my previous experiences and the institutional challenges facing us today.
The Michigan School of Psychology is a distinctive and extraordinary place. With deep roots in the estimable tradition of humanistic psychology, in its over four decades of history MSP has made a profound and lasting impact on the lives of thousands of individuals. We will never completely know the full extent of that impact, but we can be sure that there is potential for even greater positive influence in the future. My aspiration for MSP is that we become the pre-eminent institution in the Midwest for educating and training multi-culturally competent, clinically adept, and interpersonally sensitive psychologists who engage in clinical and scholarly work and service that transforms lives and communities. Though that is an admittedly lofty objective, I believe it is attainable. To achieve such an ambitious goal will require the engagement, partnership, and contributions of people from the entire extended community of MSP. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, clinical partners, and members of the broader public touched by the work and mission of MSP will all have critical roles to play. One of my highest priorities as President will be to reach out to individuals across all of those groups to help equip and empower our work, communicate our message, and tell the compelling story of MSP.
In my short time of connecting directly with this institution, I’ve been struck by the frequency with which we are described as, “a hidden jewel.” Though we are relatively small in the broad context of higher education, our effect and influence are disproportionately strong relative to that size. In the days ahead, I’m committed to working with you to help increase the awareness and even more substantially grow the scope and breadth of the mission of MSP. We have a remarkable collective of people working and studying here. Our potential for doing even greater good is immense. I’m excited and grateful for the privilege of being a part of that collective and joining together with you in fostering and growing our world transforming work.
Best regards,
Brian Stogner, PhD
President
Michigan School of Psychology
