Welcome

• News
• Miller Hall Update
• Student Awards
• Alumni Connections
• Contribute to our Mission

Our Department

• 2009-2010 Achievements
• 2009-2010 Grants
• 2009-2010 Publications
• 2009-2010 Conferences
• 2009-2010 Service
• Archive of Past Years

Useful Information

• JMU Website
• About the Local Area
• Visit Campus
• Campus Map

News

A scene from the 2008 Psychology Symposium in Miller Hall.

Our graduates are successful! We know something about the post-graduate activities of JMU Psychology Major Alumni from program assessment data that is collected each year. We surveyed the 197 students who graduated in May 2009.  We received responses from 104 students (53%). We learned that 93% were planning to attend graduate school (43% were planning to attend next year, and 50% were planning to attend sometime in the future).   These data are consistent with findings from our Senior Exit Survey on which 43.2% of graduating seniors reported they planned to attend graduate school during the next academic year, and an additional 40.8% report that they plan to attend graduate school at some time in the future.  The May 2009 graduates who will attend graduate school in Fall 2009 indicated that they had been accepted into a graduate program to pursue one of the following areas of study:  Counseling (11), Social Work (5), Psychological Science (4), Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3), Education including Special Education (3), School Psychology (2), Behavior Analysis (2), Public Health (1), Forensic Psychology/Criminal Justice (2), Clinical Psychology (2), Quantitative Psychology (1), Marketing Research (1), Human Resource Development (2), Student Affairs (1), Conflict Resolution (1), Law School (1), Kinesology (1), and Physical Therapy (1).

Welcome to Dr. Krisztina Varga! We are pleased to announce that Dr. Varga has joined us from the University of Georgia, where she recently earned her doctoral degree.  Dr. Varga will teach courses in developmental psychology and conduct research on cognitive development in young children.  Welcome Dr. Varga!

Department of Psychology faculty member David Daniel has been selected to receive the IMBES Service Award from the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society.

JoAnne Grayson named “Virginia Woman of History.”  Dr. Grayson and seven other women will be honored by the Library of Virginia in Richmond at a reception on March 26, 2009.  The winners of this award are truly outstanding individuals. They include: Pauline Adams, a leader of the women's suffrage movement; Drew Faust, President of Harvard University, Attorney General Mary Sue Terry; and Virginia Estelle Randolph, a child of former slaves who became a teacher who developed innovative educational approaches.  Since joining the JMU psychology faculty more than 30 years ago, Joann Grayson has supervising over 9,000 hours of community service by JMU students.  She testified before Congress and publishing the Virginia Child Protection Newsletter. Dr. Grayson initiated 11 prevention programs in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham community, including a tutoring program that partners JMU students with at-risk children. She also served as chair of the Governor's Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect in Virginia. In 2006, she was the recipient of Prevent Child Abuse Virginia’s “Champion for Children Award” and the Virginia Professor of the Year award by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. She also received the 2005 Commissioner's Award for Virginia from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families and a 2004 TIAA-CREF Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, which is administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and announced by the governor.  The JMU faculty, current students and many alumni have benefitted greatly by being able to work with this distinguished faculty member.  More about Joann Grayson is available at http://www.jmu.edu/news/People_Grayson.shtml and http://www.dnronline.com/details.php?AID=36389&CHID=2

Kevin Apple has received the 2009 College of Integrated Science and Technology Outstanding Teacher Award. Dr. Apple was also the 2008 recipient of the 2008 Provost Award for Excellence in Academic Advising.  On April 22 he was informed by the National Academic Advising Association that he will receive the 2009 Certificate of Merit for Excellence as an Academic Advisor. For six years he has served as one of the Assistant Department Heads in Psychology.  Kevin Apple has made a positive difference in the lives of the students he works with. He is an outstanding teacher and caring advisor. It is clear from his work that he is dedicated to helping students learn effectively, set goals for themselves, and advance in their careers.  Many students and alumni identify Dr. Apple as someone who had a significant impact on their lives

Kenn Barron was one of the recipients of the 2009 JMU All-Together-One Awards selected by Omicron Delta Kappa. Dr. Barron has a passion for teaching.  Kenn is successful in getting students to share the excitement he has for the field.  He helps his students understand the personal relevance of what they are learning.  Dr. Barron designed the Freshmen Psychology Residential Learning Community, now in its seventh year.  The Psychology Learning Community is designed for up to 20 first-year students who have a strong interest in pursuing a major in Psychology and a future career in a Psychology-related field.   Dr. Barron is one of the department’s most popular advisors.  He advises a host of psychology majors as well as serving as a Freshmen Advisor.  In addition to his research on human motivation, Dr. Barron actively conducts research on the scholarship of teaching by presenting at teaching and learning conferences and publishing on teaching-related topics.  Since 2000, he has made six professional presentations at teaching conferences, and he has been invited to write two chapters in books about “Best Practices” in the teaching of psychology.  His presence at JMU has made a great difference to students and colleagues at the university. 

Michael Hall has been elected President Elect of the Psi Chi National Council. His term began in August 2009.

Judy West has received the 2009 Provost Award for Excellence in Part-Time Teaching.  Ms. West has been teaching Life Span Human Development in the Department of Psychology since 2003.  She is an excellent instructor who has had a wonderful influence on literally thousands of JMU students.  She has a personal, interactive, and engaging teaching style.  Her background is perfect for what she teaches at JMU and she effectively utilizes her knowledge and experience to enhance her course.  As a school counselor, she knows a lot about the issues that young adults face.  Through the General Education Psychology course that she teaches, she not only promotes intellectual development, but also appropriately promotes the overall social and emotional development of her students.   Through her course, students learn how to better cope with the normal adjustment pressures commonly experienced by young adults.  In addition, Judy values community involvement and tries to help students understand the importance of giving back to their community. 

Leadership in Undergraduate Psychology Education.  Collectively, the JMU Department of Psychology faculty are, quite literally, writing the books on how to effectively prepare undergraduate students in psychology.  During the past 5 years our faculty have been authors of chapters in each of the following books that describe best practices in undergraduate psychology education:

• Measuring Up: Assessment Challenges and Practices for Psychology, 2004.
• Best Practices for Teaching Introduction to Psychology, 2005.
• Best Practices for Teaching Statistics and Research Methods in Behavioral Science, 2007.
• Teaching Critical Thinking in Psychology: A Handbook of Best Practices, 2008. 
• Best Practices for Beginnings and Endings in the Psychology Major, 2009. 
• Undergraduate Education in Psychology: A Blueprint for the Future of the Discipline, 2009.

In addition our faculty have contributed to these books:

• The Handbook of the Teaching of Psychology, 2005.
• Inspiring Leadership: It’s Not About the Power, 2006.
• Thriving!  A Manual for Students in the Helping Professions, 2008.
• A Guide to Teaching Research Methods in Psychology, 2008.
• Developing, Promoting, & Sustaining the Undergraduate Research Experience in Psychology, 2008.

And our faculty include a co-author on:

• Quality benchmarks in undergraduate psychology programs, an important article that helps you know when you have a good program, published in the primary journal of the American Psychological Association, American Psychologist, 2007.

JMU Summer Program in Ghana Motivates Student Effort. Students have started a fund raising effort here at JMU in support of a center where they worked for 3 hours each day during the 2008 JMU Summer Program in Ghana. The Glona Academy offers a literacy program and basic healthcare to underprivileged children in the community. Through their fund raising efforts, JMU students hope to make it possible for the Glona Academy to develop permanent, self-sustaining facilities in which they can continue to have an impact on the children served.  A more complete story appears at http://www.jmu.edu/cisat/news/glona.html .  For more information or to make a donation contact psychology major Christina Wolf (wolfcl@jmu.edu).

Psychology Award Winners Announced.  The JMU psychology faculty have been actively engaged in the process of selecting our most outstanding students for awards that will be distributed at a ceremony on April 11.  Decisions this year were extremely difficult because so many of our students are so clearly deserving of recognition.  Many of our students earned high grades for their outstanding academic achievement.  Many completed completed honors thesis and/or field placement projects.  They conducted research and presented that research at professional conferences.  They participated in campus and community service projects.  For a list of our award winners and highlights about their activities see http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/visitors/studentawards.html .

Our JMU Psychology Alumni are outstanding!  In March we completed a major update of the alumni notes section of our web site (http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/visitors/classnotes.html).  Our alumni are amazing!  So many have become professionals and leaders in their fields!  JMU psychology alumni who would like to add their names to our online listing should send their announcements and updates to psyc-alum@jmu.edu.  Be sure to include your name and graduation year with information about what you have done and what you are doing.

Experiential learning among JMU Psychology Majors hits record highs!  During the 2008-2009 academic year, more Psychology Majors engaged in research, practicum, and teaching assistantship activities than ever before.  This year a total of 420 Psychology Majors were enrolled in independent study projects (Psyc 290 or 402).  Some of these students completed two or more courses, so the actual enrollment total was 481!    (This was up from 389 in 2007-2008, 378 in 2006-2007 and 265 students in 2005-2006.)   In addition, 22 students are completed Honors Thesis projects and 45 completed Field Placements this year. (The number of Honors Thesis projects in the past were 21 during 2007-2008, 21 during 2006-2007, and 16 during 2005-2006.) The expansion of research and thesis activities is the result of a deliberate effort by our faculty to engage students in higher-level learning activities, and we are delighted that our students have taken up the challenge.

Our faculty and students are productive scholars!  Last year, Department of Psychology faculty and students completed 56 publications including 1 book, 10 chapters, 11 journal articles and 9 newsletter articles and 18 additional publications are currently “in press.”  Eight students were listed as co-authors on these publications.  Collectively, our faculty and students completed 124 conference presentations, posters, or workshops in international (4), national (49), regional (42), state (9), or local (20) forums.  Sixty one of these presentations were authored or co-authored by students.  Many students authored or co-authored more than one conference presentation, poster or workshop.  Last year, the Department of Psychology awarded $10,447 to students in support of requests by 27 students (or groups of students) for funding in support of research projects or travel to conferences to present their findings.  A list of our publications completed so far this year appears at http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/visitors/2008_2009publications.html and our conference presentations are listed at http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/visitors/2008_2009conferences.html .  Student research and travel grants awarded so far this year are listed at http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/visitors/2008_2009grants.html .

The following mission and vision statements were adopted by the Department of Psychology in March 2009:

The mission of the Department of Psychology is to educate students in, and contribute to, the science of Psychology.

The vision of the Department of Psychology is to sustain and advance a nationally recognized department focused on promoting scientific proficiency within the interdisciplinary field of Psychology. To that end, the curriculum is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in psychological science that reflects multiple perspectives within the discipline. The hallmarks of our program are learning opportunities that promote the skills necessary to conduct and evaluate research and to interpret findings. We train our students to be responsive to emerging trends and apply their knowledge of psychological science as responsible global citizens.

The Department of Psychology is a dynamic contributor to the general education program and the university community through the delivery of high quality courses and other educational experiences emphasizing psychological science. Our faculty strive to create and implement creative and effective pedagogy, embracing the dual role of teacher/scholar. The department will foster a collegial and collaborative environment within which divergent opinions as well as cultural diversity are respected, valued, and promoted.