Welcome, Summer! As I write this, spring semester grades are due in a few short hours and the OU campus has become warm, green … and quiet. While these calmer weeks are certainly welcomed by faculty, staff and students alike, it always feels a little strange to look out the window and see so few people.
The spring semester brought some big changes and exciting accomplishments to Psychology. In March we welcomed a new financial and administrative coordinator, Dylan Wells, to the department. We said goodbye to longtime academic advisor, Bart Hanna, and wish him well in his new role in the OU School of Social Work. Several Psychology folks received University honors this spring. Faculty members Shane Connelly, Adam Feltz and Dingjing Shi were each recognized with the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Transdisciplinary Research. Graduate student Catherine Bain was named Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant by the Graduate Student Senate. We also congratulate this year’s TOPS award winners, Delaney Fulp, Katrina Parker and Christina Personette, as well as the graduate students who received master’s and doctoral degrees this year.
We were also on a roll this semester with departmental events. Our Cigna-sponsored Lunch Bunch series continued with talks by Larry Mullins, Ph.D. of OSU and Julia McQuoid, Ph.D. of the TSET Health Promotion Research Center. We had a fantastic turnout at the Psychology Graduate Student Association’s Graduate and Undergraduate Student Research Symposium in April, where graduate and undergraduate students and their faculty mentors presented a total of 34 posters highlighting the diverse research projects ongoing in our department. PGSA also hosted a wonderful end-of-year party for all to enjoy—who knew the 9th floor of Dale Hall Tower could look so festive? It is so rewarding to be a part of a department that values community as much as it values academic excellence. I look forward to more of both next year!
Thank you for your continued support of our department. If you don’t already, please follow us on social media. We maintain active LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X accounts, where we share more about the accomplishments of our faculty and students as well as departmental events. And as always, if you are in a position to provide financial support, we welcome your gift. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you’re interested in learning more about how your contribution to our department can make a difference.
My best wishes to you for a fun and restful summer!
Sincerely,
Dr. Lara Mayeux
