Oliver Sullivan
Fall 2023 SAFE Fund Recipient
Project: "Perceived vs. Actual: Bridging the Gap in the Understanding of Psychology Majors’ Skills"
Oliver Sullivan, a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management (IOHRM) program, received a Fall 2023 Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) grant to present a poster at the River Cities I-O (RCIO) Psychology Conference in Chattanooga, TN, from October 21-22, 2023.
"I discussed how psychology students may not be aware of the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that they generate during their curriculum. As a result of this, psychology bachelor's degree holders are often underemployed, occupying jobs that do not properly utilize all of their skills," explained Sullivan. To study the potential gap between a student’s perceived KSAs and the KSAs they actually obtain from their undergraduate curriculum, Sullivan and his team administered a survey to undergraduate psychology majors at App State. The findings serve as a valuable resource for addressing and narrowing the perceived-versus-actual skills gap prevalent among psychology undergraduate students.
The study was advised by Department of Psychology professor Dr. Shawn Bergman and co-authored by IOHRM program alumni Logan Briggs ’24 and Morgan McElhaney ’24 and Department of Psychology alumni Madhu Sukumar ’24 and Ryan Witt ’24.
The SAFE funding helped Sullivan cover conference registration, lodging and food costs. "The money from the SAFE grant allowed me to worry less about the expenses accrued by attending the RCIO conference, and focus more on preparing to present the team's research to the best of my abilities," shared Sullivan. "This enhanced my experience as a student and allowed me to fully focus on gaining the most from my experience of attending RCIO and not spend mental resources on external stressors." Following his positive experience at last year's conference, Sullivan presented independently at the 2024 RCIO Psychology Conference, held last month in Chattanooga.
To learn more about the project and view the poster, visit scholar.utc.edu/rcio/2023/posters/11.
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About the SAFE Fund
Initially endowed by Hughlene and Bill Frank, the College of Arts and Sciences Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Fund provides resources that can be used to support undergraduate, graduate and faculty experiences. The SAFE Fund provides funding for college priorities and opportunities that arise throughout the year. These unrestricted funds support student and faculty travel, publication support for faculty and student research opportunities. Learn more at cas.appstate.edu/students/student-and-faculty-excellence-safe-fund.
About the Dr. Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology
Appalachian State University’s Dr. Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology serves more than 1,400 undergraduate majors seeking the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in psychology, as well as 90 graduate students across four graduate programs: experimental psychology (MA), industrial-organizational psychology and human resource management (MA), school psychology (MA/SSP) and clinical psychology (PsyD). Learn more at psych.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs
December 17, 2024
BOONE, N.C.
Oliver Sullivan is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management program. Photo submitted
Oliver Sullivan is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management program. Photo submitted