CoA seeks comments on procedure changes

APA's Committee on Accreditation (CoA) has proposed changing some of its accreditation operating procedures to remain in compliance with U.S. Department of Education standards for recognizing accrediting agencies. If approved, the potential changes, which aim to improve education quality in professional psychology, will, among other items, invite public comment on psychology programs applying for accreditation. Under the current rules, such applications are confidential.

In accordance with APA's Policies for Accreditation Governance, CoA has made its proposed changes available for public review and comment for a six-month period, which began in March and continues into September. To review or comment on the changes, visit www.apa.org/ed/accreditation. The site includes an electronic-based comment form, background information and a listing of the proposed changes. All reviewers' names and comments are public. For more information, contact APA's Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, Education Directorate, at the APA address; (202) 336-5979; e-mail: apaaccred@apa.org.

Nominate your program for a Suinn Award

APA's Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training Task Force seeks nominations for the 2004 APA Suinn Minority Achievement Awards, which recognize graduate psychology programs demonstrating outstanding recruitment and retention of ethnic-minority students. Only ethnic-minority students can make a nomination, and the chair of their program must help by providing specific information in the application, including the number of minority students who earned doctoral degrees in the past five years. Three programs will receive Suinn Achievement Awards at APA's 2004 Annual Convention in Honolulu, July 28-Aug. 1.

The nomination deadline is May 18. The application form is available at www.apa.org/pi/oema/suinncall.pdf. For more information, contact Rachel Westerfield, Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs, Public Interest Directorate, at the APA address; (202) 336-6030; e-mail: rwesterfield@apa.org.

Spread the word about membership benefits

Share information with psychology students and faculty at your university or college about APA's products, services and membership benefits through APA's Department Volunteer Network. APA provides volunteers with association news, catalogs, program fact sheets and applications to distribute on their campuses. To learn more or to sign up, contact Membership Development at the APA address; (800) 374-2721, ext. 5584; e-mail: dvn@apa.org.

New doctorates: Upgrade to full member status for free

Dues-paid APA student affiliates who have received or will earn their doctoral degree this school year can upgrade their APA status from student affiliate to full member at no additional cost. The offer ends Sept. 3. Qualified student affiliates can change their status by submitting upgrade applications, which were mailed in April. If you are eligible to become a full APA member and have not received an application form, you can download one at www.apa.org/membership/upgrade.html or call (800) 374-2721.

Apply for an APAGS scholarship or award

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) is now accepting applications for its 2004 scholarships and awards, which are available to APAGS members who are enrolled at least part time as a student in good standing at a regionally accredited university.

Many of the awards offer monetary prizes; for example, the Nancy B. Forest and L. Michael Honaker Master's Scholarship for Research in Psychology awards $1,000 toward master's thesis research. For complete details and deadlines on this and other scholarships and awards, visit www.apa.org/apags/members/schawrdsintro.html or see the April issue of gradPSYCH. The application and nomination deadline is June 14, except when noted otherwise.

Be an APAGS ambassador at convention

Students who want to maximize their networking opportunities while attending APA's 2004 Annual Convention in Honolulu, July 28-Aug. 1, can sign up to be an ambassador for APAGS. Ambassadors provide information on convention events, distribute APAGS promotional items and monitor APAGS programs by taking head counts and collecting participant evaluations. For more details on the ambassador program and to sign up, visit www.apa.org/apags.

Council adopts new education document

At its February meeting, APA's Council of Representatives adopted as policy the document "Developing and evaluating standards and guidelines related to education and training in psychology: context, procedures, criteria and format."

The document provides APA groups a common framework for the preparation and review of standards and guidelines for education and training in psychology. The document is online at www.apa.org/ed. APA's Board of Educational Affairs will coordinate and conduct the review of all submitted documents related to proposed standards and guidelines. Copies of the document are also available from Joan Freund, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education and Training, Education Directorate, at the APA address; e-mail: jfreund@apa.org.

Conference will promote mental health services in prisons

APA will co-sponsor a conference this summer that will help demonstrate the crucial role psychologists play in prisons and correctional environments. Titled "Mental health in corrections: improving treatment to change lives," the two-day conference will be held July 11-12 in Las Vegas by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), a nonprofit organization committed to improving health services in the nation's jails, prisons and juvenile detention facilities. Participants will explore issues related to mental health disorders among correctional populations and best practices for treatment. NCCHC chair Thomas Fagan, PhD, will deliver the keynote address on nontraditional methods used by mental health professionals in correctional settings. Another featured speaker is APA member Steven Joel Helfand, PsyD, who will discuss mental health treatments for incarcerated adolescents. The registration deadline is June 30; register by June 18 for a discounted hotel rate.

The conference is open to all APA members and will offer 13 APA continuing-education hours. For additional details and registration information, visit the conference Web site at www.ncchc.org/education/mentalhealth/vegas.html.

--M. GREER