Dear Foghorn Editors,
Regarding your article titled “PsyD Program Faces Potential Closure” in the March 27 issue, we have some important clarifications to note.
The School of Nursing and Health Professions has conducted an extensive multi-year review and rigorous analysis of enrollment, attrition and completion trends in its clinical psychology doctoral program (known as the PsyD program). After communicating the findings to students, faculty and staff, a formal recommendation to close the program was made by the leadership of the school. This recommendation is very disappointing to SONHP students, faculty, staff and alumni – especially given the critically important clinical contributions the PsyD program and its graduates have made to patients and families in the Bay Area and beyond. However, the findings clearly show that the program currently requires substantial resources beyond the revenue generated to meet the needs of future students.
The work of redesign was a partnership with the administration and faculty since 2023. In November 2024, in the midst of the sustainability assessment mentioned above, SONHP leadership shared that no changes would be implemented during an assessment year. The faculty were then asked to redirect their efforts to the support of the existing program design. In addition, the faculty voted down proposals presented by the administration that would have led to structural changes that had the potential to reduce costs associated with running the program.
Regarding the comment from a graduate and community provider in the article, it is important to note that the agencies that participate in the clinical psychology training community as training sites for doctoral students are supported by doctoral students from seven clinical psychology doctoral programs throughout the Northern California region (five in the local Bay Area). While students in all of our programs provide important services to our community partners, resource management and utilization at each of those agencies is the responsibility of that agency.
The proposal will move forward with the comments of JUCC deliberation included for the Provost’s review. Following university policy and procedure, the final decision on the program’s closure will be made by the university provost in the coming days. Current students will be notified of the decision, and the university stands by its commitment to teach out the program (which has been addressed since news of the program pause was shared in October 2024). Students will be counseled on the options for successfully continuing their course of study.
We are sorry that after all our efforts we cannot continue this program, but are grateful we have many other programs which contribute to the mental health needs of diverse communities in the Bay Area and nationwide.
Sincerely,
Eileen Fry-Bowers, Dean, School of Nursing and Health Professions
Megan O’Banion, Senior Associate Dean, School of Nursing and Health Professions
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
