April 2023 Message from Department Head Christopher Mayhorn

Dear Psychology Family (Faculty, Staff, and Students),

Happy “almost” end of spring semester! With mid-term exams and spring break behind us, I wanted to take a moment and share some of the great achievements of our gifted students, staff, and faculty. For instance, two of our incoming undergraduate students have been named as Provost’s Award winners.  Likewise, Mary Haskett was recently informed that she will receive the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal, considered to be the highest faculty award at NCSU. Moreover, Dana Kotter-Gruehn who many of you know as the director of undergraduate advising in psychology has been selected to receive the Outstanding Teacher Award. While there are a number of other awards that could be described here, I wanted to focus this note on how these great successes result from the wealth of opportunities that we have available here at NCSU.

Even though I have been at this university for 20 years, I continue to be impressed by the opportunities that the Department of Psychology, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and NC State bring to all of us. As mentioned in the last note (yes, I am providing an update), we have hired another professor (one of five). Lori Hoggard comes to us from Rutgers University to continue her excellent research on how racial discrimination is a chronic psychosocial stressor that causes health concerns for African Americans. At this point, you might be asking how does this benefit me? First, Hoggard (and the other new professors mentioned previously) will be conducting world-class research and they need help from you. For undergraduates interested in graduate school, psychology undergraduates can enroll in PSY 499 (independent research in psychology) and gain direct laboratory experience working with faculty. This type of experience is essential in gaining admission to graduate programs and you can learn skills that might help you secure a job after graduation. If you have not done so already, please ask your academic advisor about this opportunity. Second, new faculty will begin teaching undergraduate and graduate classes providing the newest information and methodologies thereby enhancing psychological education! Third (and indirectly related), we are increasingly interested in global perspectives and NC State offers a wealth of study abroad programs (see studyabroad.ncsu.edu for more information) that allow students to learn and live in locations such as Prague or any one of numerous other options around the globe.

Although spring break was a time for much needed rest and recovery for all, it is important for us to appreciate one another and think about how we can best use our time at NC State. Hopefully, now that you are energized and refreshed from spring break, we can finish out the semester by working to actively take advantage of all the opportunities that are available to you as part of our pack!

Christopher B. Mayhorn

Department Head of Psychology