Company Profile
Alliant International University
Company Overview
The Missions We Serve
At Alliant International University, we sometimes refer to ourselves as "a family of schools," and this is true in several ways. The two schools that came together to form Alliant were each innovative institutions with distinctive missions of their own. Those missions have been handed down to their offspring, Alliant, and still remain compelling today. From United States International University, we have inherited an enduring commitment to internationalism. From the California School of Professional Psychology, we have gained strong convictions about how professionals should be educated and how important it is for them to develop multi-cultural competence.
As we have grown, we have formed strong alliances with other institutions such as the Presidio School of Management, which holds a vision of sustainability that has relevance in natural, social and business systems.
While all the schools within the Alliant family are distinctive, it's also true that all the members of our educational family hold strong resemblances. We often speak of the "professional practice university," because that phrase has encapsulates many of the shared features of our academic programs. In all of our programs, we prepare students to enter professions: psychology, education, management and public service, in which their future success depends upon the mastery of a specialized body of knowledge and skills. We emphasize the practical application of knowledge, and our approach to education incorporates theory and practice. In most of our programs, students learn in the field as well as in the classroom. The "professional practice" model implies both a goal and a method of education.
We prepare students for independent, knowledge-based careers of service and leadership in a variety of fields.
While each of our schools serves its own field of professional endeavor and has its own mission statement, it's also true that as a family, we also hold a shared mission. Below, in the words of our president, Dr. Geoffrey Cox, is a thoughtful exploration of the multiple missions served by Alliant International University.
Serving Individuals and Communities
We live in an age of tremendous progress in terms of science, medicine and technology. Indeed, we have come to believe that many of life’s troubles will sooner or later be eliminated by a new invention, a new medicine or some other scientific discovery. But many of the world’s most intractable problems— psychological suffering, family strife, inadequate education, dysfunctional organizations and misunderstandings among groups—are not amenable to technological solutions. Alliant emphasizes the social and human sciences—bodies of knowledge that are aimed at improving the condition of individuals, families, organizations and communities. From preparing marriage and family therapists to educating managers with special concerns for the "human side" of business, our success as an institution is measured not just in terms of the number of graduates produced or the number of papers written by our faculty, but also by the impact our students and graduates have on the communities they serve. This impact begins while our students are in school. Across all programs and campuses, Alliant students devote more than 750,000 hours per year to community service.
Promoting Multicultural and International Competence
Never before in history have the forces of globalization, immigration and intercultural communication been so prominent and so demanding. Professionals must have the ability to work effectively across cultural and international boundaries. The psychological and social sciences must be updated and modified to account for intercultural differences. We work to infuse every course and every program with an exploration of the significance of culture, ethnicity and nationality. True multicultural competence means updating both theories and practice. Our Graduate School of Education, for example, publishes the online Journal of Cross Cultural Transformation in Education. The commitment to diversity also extends to our faculty and student bodies. Alliant is consistently recognized in surveys as one of the most diverse and international universities in the nation.
Setting Standards of Education for the Professions
Our focus on professional education and international education merge in our work in other countries. We offer clinical training, teacher preparation and management education at our campus in Mexico City; we offer clinical training in Tokyo, Japan, and soon will expand several programs into Hong Kong and mainland China. These programs all serve to extend standards of education and practice in the professions that do not otherwise exist in these countries. We also continue to influence standards in the US. For example, our nationally-recognized program in psychopharmacology is the model for preparing psychologists to gain prescription privileges in states that have begun to allow such practices.
Advancing Knowledge
Universities have a fundamental obligation to contribute to advancing our knowledge. Alliant contributes to the advancement of knowledge through the work of its faculty and students, and through organized centers of research. The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma is an international center of excellence that sponsors research, conferences and publications on topics ranging from domestic violence to elder abuse to violence prevention in schools. Our faculty contributes extensively to the scientific literature and in professional conferences.
Expanding Access and Opportunity
We seek to make higher education available to ever expanding communities of students. Our Center for Undergraduate Education is designed specifically to serve graduates of community colleges who might otherwise not seek a four-year college degree. Indeed, we are designing programs that will encourage and enable students to aim even higher—toward a master’s or a doctorate degree—by creating a seamless, efficient and affordable path that begins even before college.We have developed a unique three-way partnership among Alliant, the Sweetwater High School District and Southwestern Community College to serve the predominately Hispanic communities between San Diego and the Mexican border. Our commitment to expansion of access extends in many directions, from our novel partnership with Ohlone College in Fremont, California to our pending affiliation with Beijing Normal University at its new campus in Zhuhai, China.
Pursuing Educational Innovation
We celebrate a tradition of innovation in education, and we are committed to continue seeking new and better ways to assist students in learning. We seek to continue experimenting with educational methods—in the classroom, in the field and via technology—to make our educational programs more effective and accessible. We also will continue to create programs that respond to changing professional needs. The new Marshall Goldsmith School of Management blends the best of traditional business training with an emphasis on the organizational and interpersonal aspects of management and leadership.
Company History
On July 1, 2001, United States International University (USIU) and Alliant University/CSPP were joined to create a new university — Alliant International University.
Here's a brief look at the earlier years of the two academic organizations that are now combined in Alliant Internaltional University.
California School of Professional Psychology
CSPP was founded in 1969 with help from the California Psychological Association. CSPP was the nation's first independent graduate school of professional psychology.
The founders' premise was that the health care needs of society required a psychology training program blending professionalism and science in new and creative ways. Now more than 30 schools of professional psychology follow CSPP's model.
In the early 1970s, CSPP awarded AA, BA, MA, and PhD degrees. The school offered majors in clinical psychology, community psychology, developmental psychology, child and family life, the clinical practice of psychotherapy and assessment, and community change and organizational development. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the school chose to offer study primarily in clinical psychology; at one point the only terminal degree offered was the PhD. In recent years, the university added programs in organizational studies, social and policy studies and education.
Students were admitted to the first campuses in San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1970. The San Diego campus was added in 1972 and the Fresno campus was founded in 1973. In 2000, CSPP changed its name to Alliant University. CSPP has trained over 6,000 professional psychologists, many of whom hold leadership positions in the field of mental health care in California and throughout the US.
United States International University
The university that became USIU was founded in 1952 as California Western University. Sitting on 90 acres in the Point Loma area of San Diego, Cal Western was a liberal arts college that emphasized small classes taught by highly qualified faculty. Many students received individualized instruction.
In 1965, the University received a Federal land grant for a new campus in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego.
In 1967, the University's name was changed to United States International University to reflect its expanded commitment to a global perspective. In 1968, construction began on the Scripps Ranch. The property, previously the site of Camp Elliott, a Marine Corps training facility, is now the home of Alliant's largest campus.
USIU had campuses throughout the United States and the world, including such places as Hawaii, Colorado, France, Canada, Palau, England and Japan. USIU offered bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs and granted degrees in business, education, psychology, international relations, performing and visual arts, and a number of other disciplines. USIU has a worldwide network of more than 20,000 alumni/alumnae who hold prominent positions in varied fields.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Over the years, our students have gone on to exciting careers in health care, social services, education, business, and the arts. Our graduates have achieved success worldwide in their fields, and many of them commit themselves to professional and volunteer service in their communities. This page is devoted to our role models - our alumni superstars!
Here are some of the careers that have been launched by Alliant and the "heritage institutions" that gave rise to it: CalWestern, United States International University, and the California School of Professional Psychology.
Mark Blankenship, '88
Corporate Vice President of Human Resources, Jack in the Box
Biography
Edward Bourg, '73
Interim Program Director and Professor, Alliant International University
Dr. Stephanie Brown, ’77
Director of the Addictions Institute in Menlo Park, CA and Co-Director, The Family Recovery Project, MRI, Palo Alto, CA. She is the author of 6 books, including her latest (co-authored with Virginia Lewis), The Alcoholic Family in Recovery: A Developmental Model.
William Coby, '80
Licensed psychologist with offices in Lafayette and San Francisco, California. Specialty areas: cognitive-behavioral treatments for stress-related physical and emotional imbalance. Senior Fellow BCIA (Biofeedback Certification Institute of America); couple and family communications and problem solving; consultation and personal coaching with high tech orientation.
Paul DeYoung, '91
Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP
http://www.occaba.org/events/
Mervyn Dymally, '78
State Assemblyman
State of California
District 52
Biography
Jamie Foxx (Eric Bishop), '90
Actor
Best Actor Oscar for "Ray," 2004
Carol Gallagher, '96
Author and Managing Partner of Alliance for Excellence
Biography
Patrick Gannon, '79
Licensed Psychologist
Creator, Marriage Prep 101 Workshops
Jean Greaves, '90
Co-Founder and CEO, TalentSmart, Inc.
Patty Hambrick, '97
Director, Academic Technology and Director of Academic Grants Charleston Southern University in Charleston, South Carolina
Maynard Howe, '81
Founder & Vice Chairman, Reliant Technologies Inc.
Trustee, Alliant International University
Biography
Dr. Janet Hurwich, ’92
Clinical Psychologist
Board Member, The Dawn R. Schuman Institute of the Community
Foundation for Jewish Learning
Maryam Malek, '97
Founder and Principal, Center for Applied Emotional Intelligence, LLC
Founder and President, Corporate Development Consulting
Founder, Center for Research and Advancement of Human Potential
Biography
Dan McAllister, '89
San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector
Biography
Don Nadler, '78
Clinical Psychologist
Trustee, Alliant International University
Robyn Newhouse, '85
President, Community Music School of Springfield, Springfield, MA
Chase Rhee, '91
Adjunct Faculty, Pacific States University
President, Korean Heritage Scholarship Foundation
Paul G Ritvo, '78
Faculty, Health Psychology Department, University of Toronto
Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology & Health Science (study of physical movement) department, York University
Victor Yalom, '89
President, Psychotherapy.net
http://www.therapistexchange.com/
Practices individual and group psychotherapy, and management coaching/consulting in the San Francisco financial district. He also runs Jaylen Productions, producers and distributors of psychotherapy and chemical dependency training videotapes.
Judy E. Walters
MAE alumn
http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2007/06/11/daily28.html?jst=b_ln_hl