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Because Alliant’s student body is largely made up of graduate students, an enormous amount of research is done at the University, much of it in conjunction with masters’ or doctoral theses. (You can search the topics of Alliant’s doctoral students from the Alliant library’s website.) Some students work on their doctoral research in research clusters with faculty; others choose to explore an area of their own interest. Alliant faculty are also actively involved in research in their fields. The web pages for faculty members list their areas of research interest, as well as their publications. Much research is carried on through “institutes,” organizations affiliated with Alliant.
In addition, students’ academic experiences are enriched by University-wide initiatives focused on building multicultural skills and awareness. Descriptions of these initiatives and organizations are listed below.
Institutes
The Rockway Institute
The Rockway Institute, Alliant’s National Think Tank for LGBT Research & Public Policy, brings together scientific research and professional expertise to counter antigay prejudice and inform public policies affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The Institute’s view is that public opinion, policies, and programs should be shaped by the facts about LGBT lives, not by political ideology.
The institute aims to organize the most knowledgeable social scientists, mental health professionals, and physicians in the United States to provide accurate information about LGBT issues to the media, legislatures, and courts. It has assembled a large group of professionals around the country to participate in this public policy work.
The Rockway Institute also conducts targeted research projects to address the nation’s most pressing LGBT public policy questions. Current and planned projects are on same-sex couples, lesbian/gay parents and their children, family of origin relations of LGBT adults, LGBT youth and schools, the effects of minority stress on LGBT persons’ mental health, and LGBT issues in the workplace.
Students from all degree programs within the university may become involved in these projects by establishing a mentoring relationship with one of the 13 core faculty members at Alliant’s various schools who are affiliated with the Institute. Plans are also underway to offer a sequence of online courses on LGBT issues that students in any graduate program at Alliant can take.
Director,
Robert-Jay Green, PhD, Distinguished Professor, California School of Professional Psychology
Training and Research Institute for Emotionally Focused Therapy at Alliant (TRI EFT Alliant)
The Training and Research Institute for Emotionally Focused Therapy at Alliant advances Emotionally Focused Therapy through providing 1) training, 2) scholarship, and 3) and community services.
Training. TRI EFT Alliant provides training and support to students, interns, and professionals in the practice of EFT through workshops, externships, advanced externships, core skills trainings, supervision, internships, practicums, courses, training materials, and social events.
Scholarship. TRI EFT Alliant engages in and supports scholarship that advances the theory and practice of EFT through producing peer reviewed published research and professional presentations, attracting and supporting leading researchers, obtaining external funding, and collaborating with leading researchers and institutions.
Community Services. TRI EFT Alliant provides direct services to the public through Alliant based couple and family clinics and disseminates information to educate the public through talks, written materials, and media events.
TRI EFT Alliant supports and operates in collaboration with the International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
Directors,
Lisa Palmer-Olsen, PhD
Scott R. Woolley, PhD
California School of Professional Psychology
International and Multicultural Education, Research, Interventions and Training (I-MERIT)
International and Multicultural Education, Research, Interventions and Training (I-MERIT) is an institutional home for the University’s diversity initiatives, which are aimed at institutionalizing multicultural and international values and perspectives in Alliant’s education and training programs and in its organizational culture. These initiatives stem from the university’s identity as a professional practice university in a multicultural and international context. The university’s updated diversity agenda, adopted in 2006-2007, grounds international and local (US-based) diversity in a common conceptual framework; establishes institutional diversity goals and objectives; and establishes systemwide cultural competencies for students, faculty, and staff/administrators.
The work of I-MERIT is supported by a Director, Associate Director, and a Systemwide Committee of staff, faculty and student representatives, which provides policy guidance and coordination of efforts across schools and campuses. I-MERIT’s Systemwide Office provides resources for personal and professional development, including culturally-based teaching and curriculum materials, professional training programs and conferences, campus symposia and events and recommended reading and film lists. Each campus has an I-MERIT committee comprised of members from all schools and constituencies that focused on personal development and diversity training and fosters a diverse campus climate.
Director,
Kumea Shorter-Gooden, PhD, Professor, California School of Professional Psychology
Associate Director,
Sheila J. Henderson, PhD, Visiting Associate Professor, California School of Professional Psychology
Latino/a Achievement Initiatives
The Latino/a Achievement Initiatives facilitate progress toward Alliant’s vision of specializing in higher education access and success for traditionally underserved Latino/a populations. The Initiative is guided by a holistic perspective of education that honors the whole person and considers the student not only as an individual, but as someone who is a member of a family and a community. It works to create a university culture characterized by a vibrant Latino-friendly environment which integrates culturally-sensitive and competent approaches to education and training in support of students’ higher education goals. The Initiative also offers expertise about Latinos/as to other students and academic communities.
Values
Respeto: Respect in interacting with others
Personalismo: Personal interest with others, building trust and confidence
Simpatía: Development of polite, courteous, cooperative social relations
Familia: Integration and involvement of the family beyond the nuclear family
Saludos: Ensuring all people are welcomed and comfortable
Program Objectives
• To reach out to California’s Latino/a community through ¡Adelante con Alliant!.
• To work with community partners to develop educational pipelines for Latino/a students, leading to higher education.
• To recruit Latino/a students to pursue undergraduate and graduate degree programs at Alliant.
• To support the retention, graduation and career placement of Latino/a students by providing culturally sensitive and relevant programs and services.
• To raise funds for scholarships to support Latino/a students in reaching their higher education goals.
• To invite the involvement of Alliant’s Latino/a alumni.
Director,
Guadalupe R. Corona, EdD
The Institute on Disability and Health Psychology
The Institute on Disability and Health Psychology (IDHP) promotes social justice and quality of life by working to inform and change systems, policies, providers, and legislators relative to disability. It aims to increase representation of people with disabilities in psychology, promote training of psychologists on the conjunction of disability studies and psychology, to conduct research in disability studies that informs the work of psychologists. The IDHP conducts research projects on a range of topics, including Deaf prisoners, eating disorders, intellectual disabilities and health, and pain experiences and coping. The main activities of the IDHP are policy, research, education, training, and dissemination of knowledge, evaluation and consultation, and prevention. IDHP’s current activities include developing a model graduate psychology course on Disability, Ethnicity and Culture, designing and piloting a template for understanding quality of life for persons with disabilities and developing a protocol for doctoral psychology dissertations in American Sign Language.
Director,
Rhoda Olkin, PhD, Distinguished Professor, California School of Professional Psychology
The Institute for Behavior Assessment and Research
The Institute for Behavior Assessment and Research (IBAR) provides resources for faculty, clinicians, students and the community to create research that is meaningful and culturally responsible. Its goal is to assist research on topics that will yield useful and timely results. It maintains a database of psychological, demographic, and psychosocial. And other test data as well as a registry list of experts and researchers who are potential consultants, collaborators, committee members, and committee chairs. It provides experts for research design and statistical analysis as well as publication consultation and assessment training.
Researchers may apply to submit their data for analysis or use IBAR’s existing data for their own research. All data in the database is anonymous and meets the standards of confidentiality of the American Psychological Association.
Director,
Diana Sullivan Everstine, PhD
Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma
The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) is an international resource and training center that focuses on violence - preventing it, responding to it, and addressing its impact - across a wide social spectrum. IVAT includes the Family Violence & Sexual Assault Institute, the Youth and School Violence Center, the Workplace Violence Center, and the Traumatic Stress Center. IVAT strives to be a comprehensive resource, training and research center dealing with all aspects of violence, abuse and trauma, including family, child, teen, and elder maltreatment as well as sexual assault issues. It also provides publications and dissemination, professional services, program evaluation, and hosts annual international conferences and regional mini-conferences.
Through a focus on collaborations with various partnering organizations, IVAT desires to bridges gaps and helps improve current systems of care on a local, national, and global level. It also aims to improve the quality of life for those affected by violence, abuse, and trauma on a local, national, and an international level by conducting research, influencing public policy, disseminating state-of-the-science information, and providing professional training, publications, clinical and forensic services that are multidisciplinary.
Founder and President, Robert Geffner, PhD, Clinical Research Professor
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