Greetings, Alumni

from Dr. Paul Fox

Many things have changed within our Department over the last several years, including this new and improved web page.

Dr. Aeschleman, our former chairperson, was asked to serve as Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (I was asked to replace him as Interim Department Chair), and one year later he was asked to serve as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The following year, he was fully appointed to those positions, and I was officially appointed Chair. Dr. Denniston now serves as Assistant Chair, and Dr. Martz serves as Graduate Programs Coordinator.

Through the generous contributions of the Kulynych and Cline families, the Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology has established the Kulynych/Cline Distinguished Visiting Professorship this year. Dr. Rich Nagle who recently retired from the University of South Carolina holds the inaugural appointment to this position. During his term here, Dr. Nagle will collaborate with other faculty in their scholarly activities and professional development, teach courses related to his areas of expertise, and develop a colloquium series featuring prominent scholars.

Ten outstanding faculty members have joined us since the fall of 2000, while one has retired (Dr. Skibbe), and two (Drs. Furr and Pai) have taken positions elsewhere. Also, eight of our GTAs have earned the University GTA Teaching Award in the last five years, and several of our faculties have won University teaching, research, or mentoring awards. In addition to local awards for teaching, Dr. Doris Bazzini won the UNC Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Ludwig was also one of six ASU faculty nominated for that award. During the 2005-2006 school year, many undergraduate and graduate students presented at conferences and published with faculty members in peer-reviewed research publications.

All faculty and classes were temporarily moved out of Smith-Wright Hall during part of 2005 to allow for renovations to the building. In January 2006, we happily returned to an air-conditioned, ADA-compliant, freshly painted building with new bathrooms, tile floors, and blinds.

Psi Chi and the Psychology Graduate Student Organization are raising funds to refurbish the undergraduate Advising Center and the Graduate Student Lounge areas. Our largest unsupported need is in the area of classroom furniture. Through donations from our alumni and other friends of the Department, we continue to support both undergraduate and graduate student research and travel to professional meetings to the tune of approximately $5,500 per year. Additionally, we provide $1000-$1500 in scholarships to outstanding juniors and graduate students. These funds enabled three undergraduate and seven graduate students, along with their faculty mentors, to present research papers or posters at professional meetings(If you would like to contribute to these programs, see our fundraising page).

A new collaborative Institute for Health and Human Services has been implemented and is housed in University Hall. This Institute will offer many opportunities for supervised training (internship, practicum) and employment for our students. Alliances have been formed with both the local hospital and ASU's new nursing program. Related to the Institute, the Department has elected to merge the Health Psychology MA program and the Clinical Psychology program to place emphasis on health-related clinical issues. It is now called Clinical Health Psychology.

The Department was not idle during our time away from Smith-Wright Hall. In September, we conducted a two-day retreat at Camp Broadstone and worked tirelessly throughout the remaining months of the semester to reassess our values and to develop a new vision, a mission statement, and a strategic plan for our department. As we develop activities to implement the plan, we will focus on our concept of the "Appalachian Model," which is designed to emphasize enhanced student-faculty interaction and experiential learning.

Your Department continues to move forward, and we very much appreciate your interest in and support of our activities. Please anticipate hearing from us relative to an Alumni Advisory Council in the near future. As always, please feel free to contact me directly by letter, phone (828) 262-2297 or email me. Better, come visit our new digs.