For many people, spring is a time of hope--a time of renewal and rebirth. Even in the face of tragedies such as the tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia in December 2004, spring brings a sense of optimism and eager anticipation for new beginnings. In the academic world, even as we anticipate the completion of one academic year, we begin to look forward to and plan for the next year. So it is with Psi Chi. At its annual January meeting, the Psi Chi National Council approved several new initiatives that will begin in the next fiscal year. These programs address two of the major goals the National Council had established for this year. The programs establish new Psi Chi partnerships or expand existing ones and they provide new benefits for Psi Chi members. The National Council is still working out the details of these programs and will publish more information about each program in future issues of the Eye on Psi Chi and on the Psi Chi website. It is with great pleasure that I introduce them to you in this column.
     In the 2005-06 fiscal year, Psi Chi will initiate two grant programs to fund new internship opportunities for members. The grant for the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) Internship will provide funding for two Psi Chi members each year who have been selected as interns at the NCAVC. The NCAVC internships are 14-week unpaid research experiences at the FBI's NCAVC located near Quantico, Virginia. Interns conduct empirical research on factors involved in violent crime. The grant for the American Psychological Association (APA) Science Directorate Internship will provide funding for one Psi Chi member selected to serve in the 10-week paid summer internship in the APA Science Directorate in Washington, DC. Interns in the Science Directorate engage in a variety of activities related to the administration of psychological science. Both grant programs will be designed to help students pay for their living expenses while they are working at the internship site. Undergraduate and graduate student members of Psi Chi will be eligible for the grants. Look for information regarding the application procedures and deadlines in future issues of the Eye on Psi Chi and on the Psi Chi website.
     Psi Chi will be adding to its awards program in 2006 with the creation of the National Convention Graduate Research Awards for the best graduate research presentations at the annual conventions of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS). In addition to the current national convention awards for undergraduates, up to four $500 awards will be presented to graduate students at each convention. The Call for Proposals and guidelines for these awards are posted on the Psi Chi website.
     Psi Chi will expand the professional benefits available to Psi Chi members in 2005. APA has agreed to provide a free copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association to Psi Chi student or faculty members who join APA as new student members in 2005. You will find the application form for this special membership offer on page 56 of this issue of Eye on Psi Chi. This offer compliments the reduced student membership fee that the APA has offered Psi Chi members in 2005. The application form for the APS offer is also posted on the Psi Chi website at www.psichi.org/pdf/APSapp05.pdf.
     The Psi Chi National Council also encourages chapters to participate in new service opportunities. Psi Chi will expand its national service project dealing with food drives by encouraging chapters to participate in the Psi Chi Food Drive Network. The Network will explore partnerships with other organizations in an effort to increase the food and monetary contributions to our national food drive effort.  We will post information about this initiative on the Psi Chi website as more details become available. The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is sponsoring a three-year national project, A Matter of Ethics, to promote the development of high ethical standards and behaviors in young adults. The ACHS provides on its website (www.achsnatl.org/ethics/index.asp) a list of potential projects that chapters could implement individually or with other honor societies on campus. The Psi Chi National Council encourages chapters to conduct at least one project in the coming year. If you get excited about the possibility of sharing your interest in psychology with students in middle school and high school, consider participating in APA's Exploring Behavior Week program. APA developed lecture notes and a multimedia presentation that you could use for this project. You will find instructions about how to get involved in this initiative on page 19 or on the Psi Chi website at www.psichi.org/news/article_152.asp.
     As you look ahead to next year, I hope that you will take advantage of the many opportunities and programs Psi Chi has made available to you. Best wishes for a rewarding end to this academic year and a successful beginning to the next one.

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Spring 2005 issue of Eye on Psi Chi (Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 6, 29), published by Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN). Copyright, 2005, Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology. All rights reserved.

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