Goals
The Black Graduate Conference in Psychology (BGCP) is in small, intimate conference for graduate students in psychology who are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in psychological science.
The conference is organized with three goals in mind.
- The primary goal of the conference is to provide students with a supportive atmosphere to present their research and receive constructive feedback from fellow graduate students and faculty.
- A second goal of the conference is to provide students with an opportunity to exchange strategies and experiences that they feel would help them thrive in graduate school and beyond.
- The third goal of the conference is to provide a forum for graduate students in psychology to develop long-lasting professional relationships with future colleagues.
The conference achieves these goals through:
- Student paper presentations and poster sessions that are specifically designed to elicit interactive discussions about students’ research from faculty experts in psychology.
- Special professional development sessions targeted specifically for graduate students in psychology. Faculty experts will conduct workshops and panel discussions related to such topics as funding and career options for Ph.D.’s in psychology.
- Various social events and opportunities to allow for more informal interactions between all conference attendees in a professional context.
The key to the success of the conference is its intimate setting. In order to achieve this intimacy, the conference is limited in the number of students that can be accommodated. Previous conference participants report that they gained a great deal from the feedback that they received from their presentations. However, participants noted that the most rewarding experiences come from interacting with other students about their ideas, learning how others think about and do research on similar topics, learning about other research areas and ideas, etc. As a result, ALL CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES during the full conference period.
History
The first Black Graduate Conference in Psychology was held in the spring of 1995 at Howard University. This first conference consisted of faculty and graduate students from Howard University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Each year thereafter, the conference location has rotated among different college/university institutions. Over the years, the conference has expanded to include graduate students from across the country. On average, 30-50 students participate in the conference each year. In addition, 5-10 African American faculty also participate in the conference. Over the years, the host institutions have generously subsidized the expense of the conference in order to make it accessible to as many graduate students as possible.
The conference was organized with three goals in mind.
- The primary goal of the conference is to provide students with a supportive atmosphere to present their research and receive constructive feedback from fellow graduate students and faculty.
- A second goal of the conference is to provide students with an opportunity to exchange strategies and experiences that they feel would help them thrive in graduate school and beyond.
- The third goal of the conference is to provide a forum for graduate students in psychology to develop long-lasting professional relationships with future colleagues.
These goals have been achieved through student presentations and related feedback sessions. In addition, graduate students are encouraged to share their experiences and their strategies for success in formal round table discussions. The conference also includes panel discussions with psychologists in a variety of fields to provide graduate students with important career development information.
In accomplishing its goals, the conference has played an important role in numerous graduate students of color interested in and prepared for a research career in psychology. At present, over 30 former participants hold academic positions in psychology departments around the country, and many others have gone on to successful careers outside of the academy.