program history
The Ph.D. program in I-O psychology at Baruch College and the Graduate Center was founded in 1982 under the leadership of Joel Lefkowitz. Most of the training and coursework takes place at Baruch College’s William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus – or VC. The VC is a state of the art building located in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan. The Graduate Center is located in nearby Midtown Manhattan, across the street from the Empire State Building.
Joel Lefkowitz circa 1968; Founder of the Doctoral Program in I-O Psychology
Both Baruch College and the Graduate Center are part of the City University of New York (CUNY). CUNY is one of the largest university systems in the country, with approximately 275,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in degree programs across CUNY’s 25 campuses. Baruch College is ranked among the region's and nation's top colleges by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Princeton Review. Baruch College also offers a terminal master’s degree in I-O psychology, an executive master’s degree program in I-O psychology, and a BBA in I-O psychology.
The program has long attracted talented students and faculty. The current faculty is widely recognized for its accomplishment and contributions to the field of I-O psychology. The faculty has been awarded some of the top honors in I-O psychology including SIOP’s M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace; SIOP’s Adverse Impact Reduction Research Initiative and Action Grant; SIOPs Bray-Howard Research Grant; Academy of Management’s Sage Award for Scholarly Contributions to Gender and Diversity; the International Personnel Assessment Council’s Innovation in Assessment Award; and SIOP’s Small Grants Awards. Over the history of the program, the faculty has included: Joel Lefkowitz, Walter Reichman, Ed Hollander, Donna Thompson, Sheldon Zalkind, Jeanette Cleveland, Judi Komaki, Roger Millsap, Kristen Shockley, Loren Naidoo, Erin Eatough, Logan Watts, Julie Dinh, and Zhiqing (Albert) Zhou.
Program Traditions
New Student Orientation: To start each year, we hold a full day orientation and onboarding process for the incoming students. The day includes an all-program lunch and introduction to the I-O community at Baruch.
Holiday Party: Each December, we hold a holiday party for students, faculty, and significant others to celebrate the end of the fall semester and the holiday season. This is organized by the 2nd year cohort.
Peer Mentoring Program: The mentoring program helps incoming students to transition into graduate life. Students are voluntarily paired with more senior students who share their backgrounds and interests. The mentoring program is organized by students in years 2-5 who are part of the Student Mentoring Committee.
SIOP Alumni Reception: At the SIOP annual conference, we hold a reception for the alumni, current students, and faculty of our Ph.D. and M.S. programs.
SIOP 5k fun run: Students and faculty join together to form several teams running in SIOP’s Frank Landy 5K fun run at the annual conference.
End of the year party: At the end of each academic year, the 2nd year students organize a party for the entire program where we celebrate all of the student and faculty accomplishments for the year.
Weekly Brownbag Meetings: Each week during the semester, we hold program Brownbag meetings. During these meetings, students, faculty, and others present on research or professional issues. Click here to view our list of topics and presenters for the 2018-2019 academic year.
