By Veronica Corey
Communications and Marketing Specialist
MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University’s School Psychology program proudly celebrated a significant milestone this spring, graduating its largest class of 10 students.
Penny Craven, director of the School Psychology program, has been a great asset in returning the program to its full potential.
“Eight is the biggest graduating class that we’ve had so far. We’re at 10 this year, and once our incoming cohort graduates, we could be looking at 14,” Craven said. “I came to Minot State in 2021, and the program had shut for a while. The legislature and superintendents of the state were interested in keeping it alive because we are the only program in the state. Tamara Waters-Wheeler was brought on, but she works full time in K12, and Dr. (Paul) Markel started to put the beginnings of the program. When I got here, there was one class in the process, and since then, we’ve really ramped it up. This is the first cohort I was here to take in and the second class to graduate since I joined the faculty. It’s pretty exciting.”
As the only program in North Dakota, the School Psychology program aims to sustain this growth, increasing the number of graduates each year.
“We’re proud that the class is so big and that we’ve been able to come so far in three years,” Craven said. “From four students in the previous cohort, to now 10 graduating, and now taking in 14 in this current cohort. We should be hitting the goal of biggest class every year, for the next three years.
“As faculty, we are really proud of this class and what they’re going to do to help children.”
The largest graduating class was the first to benefit from the North Dakota School Psychology Service Grant (ND SP Service Grant). This $4.4 million grant has been instrumental in the program's rebuilding efforts, overcoming obstacles for future students. With a shortage of school psychologists, especially in North Dakota, Craven wanted to help share her knowledge with future psychologists.
“I have 20 years of experience in the field and wanted to come back because of the training deficits I saw in young school psychologists. We have such a shortage,” she said. “It's a $4.4 million grant to help students remove barriers so they basically walk away debt-free. It pays for tuition fees, books, and mileage per diem, and we take them to the NASP (National Association of School Psychology) Conference.”
Among the accomplished graduates are two participants of the ND SP Service Grant, whose dedication and hard work have been instrumental in reaching this achievement. Each year of funding the student receives will correlate to a year of service to the state, making a significant impact in North Dakota. Kandace Desjarlasis and Braden Cox are the first students to benefit from the grant.
“The grant has definitely been helpful financially with covering tuition, but also to cover unique opportunities that I don’t think I would have been able to take advantage of otherwise,” Cox said. “Like the National Association conference that we could attend, we got to do different pieces of training there that were crucial to bring to North Dakota for the other school sites.
“Also, having that face-to-face connection with other school psychologists from other areas was a really nice experience.”
When searching for colleges with opportunities, Minot State had exactly what Cox was looking for in a program.
“I was looking for something just a little more personal, and I thought Minot State would definitely provide me that,” Cox said. “The professors that we have are all really experienced not just in academia, but also, they bring a lot of field experience that they can apply with our instruction, and during our classes and meetings, all of them have been out in the field for quite a while and in different school environments. I appreciate that because they gave a well-rounded perspective on what we might see no matter where we go.”
Excited to enter their field, the graduates encourage future students to pursue the same opportunities they had at Minot State.
“The best thing about school psychology is that it just combines everything from knowledge and science to service. It's really for anybody interested in pursuing knowledge or if they want to help people,” Cox said. “My biggest selling point for school psychology is that it can work with just about anybody.”
“I'm grateful that I was able to be a part of both the program and the grant, so it's definitely going to have a lasting impact on me.”
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
Published: 08/12/24
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