Carlos Albizu Miranda
Encyclopedia
Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda (PhD) (September 16, 1920 – October 6, 1984) is the first Hispanic educator to have a North American
University
renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology
in the United States
.
leader Pedro Albizu Campos
, was born in Ponce
, the second largest city in Puerto Rico
located in the southern region of the island. His family moved to New York City
where he received his primary and secondary education. Albizu Miranda and his family returned to Puerto Rico and he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico
where in 1943 he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education
with a major on psychology
and a minor in history
.
Albizu Miranda joined the United States Army
upon the outbreak of World War II
and served overseas. After he was honorably discharged from the military, Albizu Miranda went to work for the Veteran's Administration, first as a psychometrician and later as Chief of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Education Center in Puerto Rico. He met and married Ermida Garcia Muñoz and in 1950, they moved to Minnesota
, where Albizu Miranda took advantage of his G.I. Bill benefits and earned his Masters degree Experimental Psychology in 1951 from the University of Minnesota
. He continued his academic education and in 1953 earned his Doctorate degree (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology from Purdue University
located in West Lafayette, Indiana
, becoming one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology in the United States. His internship in Clinical Psychology was completed at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Marion, Indiana
.
, the first independent professional school of psychology in North America, initially known as the "Instituto Psicológico de Puerto Rico" (Puerto Rican Institute of Psychology) which is modeled after the institutes of psychology in Europe
where the practice and internship are done at the same time. In 1971, the institute was renamed "Centro Caribeño de Estudios Postgraduados" (Caribbean Center for Advanced Studies). In 1980, Albizu Miranda moved to Miami, Florida
and opened a sister campus as the Miami Institute of Psychology.
Albizu Miranda also published several written works with a special emphasis on cross-cultural issues in mental health training and service delivery. Among his written works are
"A Training Model for Minority Psychologists" and "Psychological Concomitants of Poverty."
, Psi Chi
, and the New York Academy of Sciences. He was also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
and served on the Committee of Professional and Scientific Conduct and Ethics.
In the American Psychological Foundation Awards for 1980, Albizu Miranda was presented with the "Award for the Development of Psychology Education in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean."
Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda died on October 6, 1984, he was survived by his wife. Dr. Ermida Albizu Garcia, and four children, Dr. Carmen Albizu García, Sonya Albizu Garcia, Dr. Carlos F. Albizu Garcia and his youngest daughter, Teresa Albizu-Rodriguez. In a memorial article in the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 1985, Vol. 7. No. 3, Marion A. Wennerholm wrote:
On January 1, 2000 the Board of Trustees of the Caribbean Center for Advanced Studies, which includes the Miami Institute of Psychology, renamed the two-campus institution "Carlos Albizu University
".
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early years
Albizu Miranda, cousin of the Puerto Rican NationalistPuerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
leader Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
, was born in Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, the second largest city in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
located in the southern region of the island. His family moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he received his primary and secondary education. Albizu Miranda and his family returned to Puerto Rico and he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
where in 1943 he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
with a major on psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and a minor in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
.
Albizu Miranda joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
upon the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and served overseas. After he was honorably discharged from the military, Albizu Miranda went to work for the Veteran's Administration, first as a psychometrician and later as Chief of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Education Center in Puerto Rico. He met and married Ermida Garcia Muñoz and in 1950, they moved to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where Albizu Miranda took advantage of his G.I. Bill benefits and earned his Masters degree Experimental Psychology in 1951 from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. He continued his academic education and in 1953 earned his Doctorate degree (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology from Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
located in West Lafayette, Indiana
West Lafayette, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific...
, becoming one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology in the United States. His internship in Clinical Psychology was completed at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Marion, Indiana
Marion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
.
Return to Puerto Rico
In 1960, after he completed his internship, he returned to Puerto Rico with his family and taught psychology in his Alma Mater, the University of Puerto Rico. He also had a private practice in psychology. During his teaching years, he realized that there was a lack of qualified psychologists in Puerto Rico. He became concerned that the Universities in Puerto Rico did not offer graduate programs in psychology and that the few students who pursued a career as psychologist had to study outside of Puerto Rico where they were trained with models and techniques that were not always sensitive to the needs and sociocultural characteristics of Hispanic clients.Founder of Caribbean Center for Advanced Studies
In 1966, he stopped teaching in the university and established in San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, the first independent professional school of psychology in North America, initially known as the "Instituto Psicológico de Puerto Rico" (Puerto Rican Institute of Psychology) which is modeled after the institutes of psychology in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
where the practice and internship are done at the same time. In 1971, the institute was renamed "Centro Caribeño de Estudios Postgraduados" (Caribbean Center for Advanced Studies). In 1980, Albizu Miranda moved to Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
and opened a sister campus as the Miami Institute of Psychology.
Albizu Miranda also published several written works with a special emphasis on cross-cultural issues in mental health training and service delivery. Among his written works are
"A Training Model for Minority Psychologists" and "Psychological Concomitants of Poverty."
Later years
Albizu Miranda was the first president of the National Hispanic Psychological Association, he served from 1980 to 1982. He belonged to several scientific organizations, among them the Sigma XiSigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
, Psi Chi
Psi Chi
Psi Chi is the International Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. With over 1,050 chapters, Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the United States...
, and the New York Academy of Sciences. He was also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
and served on the Committee of Professional and Scientific Conduct and Ethics.
In the American Psychological Foundation Awards for 1980, Albizu Miranda was presented with the "Award for the Development of Psychology Education in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean."
Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda died on October 6, 1984, he was survived by his wife. Dr. Ermida Albizu Garcia, and four children, Dr. Carmen Albizu García, Sonya Albizu Garcia, Dr. Carlos F. Albizu Garcia and his youngest daughter, Teresa Albizu-Rodriguez. In a memorial article in the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 1985, Vol. 7. No. 3, Marion A. Wennerholm wrote:
"Dr. Albizu had an exceptional ability to dream great dreams and then convert them into realities. His enthusiasm was contagious and he was able to stimulate and motivate his colleagues by sharing his dreams with them and involving them in carrying them out. Through his tireless efforts and despite times of great adversity, his dream of a professional school of psychology became a reality."
On January 1, 2000 the Board of Trustees of the Caribbean Center for Advanced Studies, which includes the Miami Institute of Psychology, renamed the two-campus institution "Carlos Albizu University
Carlos Albizu University
Carlos Albizu University is a private non-profit university offering undergraduate and graduate studies in psychology, business, and education. It has two campuses: one in San Juan, Puerto Rico , and the other in Doral, Florida, near Miami...
".
Further reading
- "A biography: Carlos Albizu-Miranda" by Wagner, Cindy Allison, Psy.D., Carlos Albizu University, 2002, 258 pages; AAT 3057624; ISBN 9780493730387
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican scientists and inventors