Culture of Service Awards Presented at 2008 Science Leadership Conference

Wilbert McKeachie, Janet Hyde, and the Departments of Psychology at the University of Miami and James Madison University were honored at the 2008 Science Leadership Conference with Culture of Service Awards. One award category honors psychological departments and the other individuals. The APA Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA) selected the recipients for the two awards.

Departmental Awards

The Departmental Award for Culture of Service in the Psychological Sciences recognizes departments that demonstrate a commitment to service in the psychological sciences. Departments are recognized for a pattern of support for service from faculty at all levels, including service to the discipline that is rewarded in faculty tenure and promotion. Departments also are recognized for demonstrating that service to the profession is an integral part of training and mentoring.

The Department of Psychology at James Madison University is a recipient of the Departmental Award for Culture of Service in the Psychological Sciences and is being honored for an inspiring record of service to the discipline of psychology. The Department has a long tradition of service to the discipline through its support of faculty participating on local, state, regional, and national boards and committees, serving as officers in organizations, editing journals, mentoring students, hosting professional conferences, and working to address the needs of the local community. The department places a high value on service when recruiting new faculty and once a candidate joins the Department, that person is encouraged to expand their service activities. The department recognizes faculty with an annual award for outstanding service to the university, the discipline and the greater community. Faculty serve as mentors for students by encouraging them to join departmental committees, participate in professional service activities, and join psychology organizations, and by accompanying them to conferences. Students participate in the student Peer Advisors group and contribute to departmental and community service activities. The department is noted for having active chapters of Psi Chi and ABPsi. The Department of Psychology at James Madison University serves as an outstanding model of scholarship, teaching, and service to its colleagues, students, and community.

The Department of Psychology at James Madison University aims to provide high quality academic experiences for all undergraduate students, whether they are pursuing general education, majoring in psychology, or majoring in other subjects. The mission of the Department is to provide excellent training with a primary focus on psychological principles and research methodology. The faculty are committed to research and service, and they conduct many projects in collaboration with students. The Department's faculty are recognized and rewarded for service, have a lengthy tradition of service, and model service for their students.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Miami is a recipient of the Departmental Award for Culture of Service in the Psychological Sciences. For an impressive record of service to the discipline of psychology, to its research and scholarly infrastructure, and to the community it serves. The Department of Psychology at the University of Miami exemplifies what a culture of service to the discipline should be, through its support of faculty serving on national boards and committees, editing journals, reviewing grant and research proposals, mentoring students and colleagues, participating on university committees, and providing services to the public. The department recognizes and rewards faculty and students who engage in unusual service activities and leadership with the MUSE Award, the Kirk Danhour Award, and the Outstanding TA Award. Teaching loads are adjusted to recognize faculty service to the department, to the university, and to the scholarly enterprise. The department also trains and mentors an ethnically diverse cadre of students and provides a broad range of research opportunities for its undergraduates and mentoring opportunities for its graduate students so that a culture of service is passed on to the next generation. The Department of Psychology at the University of Miami demonstrates its commitment to service by providing faculty role models and treating a culture of service as a valued part of academic activity.

The Department's mission is to acquire, advance, and disseminate knowledge within the psychological and biobehavioral sciences. In order to achieve these goals, the Department seeks a balance among several academic endeavors, including basic scientific research, applied research, undergraduate teaching, graduate teaching, professional training and development, and service to the community. The Department has 40 faculty who make significant and wide-ranging service contributions to students, the university, the broader community, and the field of psychology.

Individual Awards

The Award for Distinguished Service to Psychological Science recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to psychological science through their commitment to a culture of service. Both Drs. Hyde and McKeachie have demonstrated their service to the discipline by engaging in many types of activities including: aiding in association governance; serving on boards, committees, and various psychological associations; editing journals; reviewing grant proposals; mentoring students and colleagues; advocating for psychological science with state and federal lawmakers; and promoting the value of psychological science in the public eye.

Janet Hyde was selected for her dedication to and leadership in psychological science. Dr. Hyde's service to psychology has been extensive and outstanding. She has served as Chair of the Department of Psychology, Director of the Women Faculty Mentoring Program, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Hyde has held important leadership positions in professional organizations. She has served as an advocate for psychological science at the federal and state levels through her work with the Coalition to Protect Research, serving as scientific advisor to then-Surgeon General David Satcher in his development of the Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior, and her current work at the state level with the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin to develop a model program for other states to address issues of depression in women.. Her service in the area of journal editing has been outstanding, particularly her anticipation of developments in the field and being instrumental in founding the APA journal, Emotion. Dr. Hyde's recognition as an award-winning teacher and mentor demonstrate her commitment to her students and colleagues. Her research on gender and sexuality, mathematics and science, and depression has contributed to public debate and policy development. She epitomizes the scholar-teacher-service model, she is admired and respected by her colleagues, and sets the standard for service to psychology.

Dr. Hyde earned her BA in 1969 from Oberlin College and her PhD in 1972 from the University of California at Berkeley. She is currently Helen Thompson Woolley Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Her research focuses on the psychology of women, human sexuality, and gender-role development. She is currently co-directing the Wisconsin Study of Families and Work, which focuses on working mothers and their children and has potential public policy implications in the area of parental leave. Other examples of her research include the investigation of the emergence of gender differences in depression in adolescence, peer sexual harassment and victimization in adolescence, and gender differences in mathematics performance. Dr. Hyde is currently on the editorial boards of Sex Roles, Journal of Sex Research, and Sexuality Research and Sexual Policy. She has served as a grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hyde was the scientific editor for Surgeon General David Satcher's Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior. She has served on the boards of the National Council for Research on Women, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex, the APA Publications and Communications Board, and the Advisory Board for the University of Wisconsin Center for Women's Health Research. Dr. Hyde was a member of the Wisconsin Governor's Commission on the Glass Ceiling, was co-chair of the Task Force on Women and Depression in Wisconsin, and participated in a Congressional briefing on sexual health research. Dr. Hyde has been honored for her teaching by receiving the University of Wisconsin Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Outstanding Teaching Award from the university's Department of Psychology. She also received the Hilldale Award in the Social Sciences from the University of Wisconsin for a faculty member with the most outstanding contributions to research, teaching, and service. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a member of the Society for Research in Child Development, Society for Research in Adolescence, and International Academy of Sex Research.

Wilbert McKeachie was selected for his lifetime of extraordinary service and record of leadership in psychological science. Dr. McKeachie's service to psychology has been broad and significant. He has held leadership positions in several organizations related to education and psychological science, including president of the American Psychological Association, the Michigan Psychological Association, and the American Association for Higher Education. He has contributed and continues to contribute to research journals around the world. Dr. McKeachie has a long career of service to the University of Michigan and its Department of Psychology by serving as its department chair for ten years. He also serves as Director of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching and Associate Director of the National Center for Research to Improve Post-Secondary Teaching and Learning. His enthusiasm for teaching, his commitment to students, his support for teachers, and his advocacy for scholarly teaching with teachers and students around the world is exemplary. He has an unwavering commitment and unique ability to use his professional service to promote psychological science to researchers, educators, and students in all disciplines as well as to the public. His ability to engage people so they understand and appreciate the importance of psychological science to their daily lives is outstanding. These and other activities have earned Dr. McKeachie the widespread respect and appreciation that he so richly deserves.

Dr. McKeachie earned his BA in 1942 from Michigan State Normal College and his PhD in 1949 from the University of Michigan. He is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, where he previously served as chair of the Psychology Department for 10 years, as Associate Director of the National Center for Research to Improve Post-Secondary Teaching and Learning, and as a research scientist at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. His research interests include motivation and information processing in university classes, college teaching, faculty development and evaluation, life span development of faculty, and religious attitudes and stereotypes. Dr. McKeachie has served on many boards and committees within the American Psychological Association and was APA President in 1976. He has served in a variety of capacities for the American Council on Education, American Education Research Association, American Association for Higher Education, American Institute for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, American Psychological Foundation, International Union of Scientific Psychology, and National Academy of Education. He is currently on the editorial boards of the journals Innovative Higher Education, National Teaching and Learning Forum, South African Journal of Higher Education, Indian Journal of Psychology, and Korean Journal of Thinking and Problem Solving. Dr. McKeachie directed National Science Foundation summer conferences for college teachers of psychology. He consulted with the Bureau of Research of the former U.S. Office of Education. He served on the Committee on Research and Development of the Educational Testing Service, as well as on various committees at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. McKeachie has received many honors throughout his career, including the American Psychological Foundation (APF) Award for Distinguished Teaching in Psychology; the APA Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology; the Edward L. Thorndike Award for Outstanding Research; the Career Achievement Award of the American Educational Research Association Special Interest Group on Faculty Teaching, Evaluation, and Development, which was renamed the W.J. McKeachie Award; the APF Gold Medal Award for Enduring Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest; and the naming of the Wilbert J. McKeachie Collegiate Professor of Psychology chair by the University of Michigan.

Nominations for the 2009 awards are being accepted now. For additional information, please see APA's Award page.