SUU Claims Largest Showing In History At Regional Psychological Conference

Published: April 26, 2004 | Author: Renee Ballenger | Read Time: 2 minutes

Forty-six faculty and students from Southern Utah University attended the 74th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association (RMPA) in Reno earlier this month, and took the record of the largest group from any university in the history of the RMPA.

“The first year (that students began attending) we had about 12 students,” Dr. Steve Barney, SUU Associate Professor of Psychology, recalls. “The next year, about 15 attended and several presented their original faculty-supervised research. This year, 38 students, all 8 faculty members, and our department secretary traveled to the meetings.”

Students and faculty made 22 professional presentations during the Meeting, including 11 oral papers, two posters, three invited panelists, five invited symposia, and one hour-long workshop presentation. Most of the works presented involved undergraduate students or undergraduate pedagogical issues and research.

Dr. Britt Mace, SUU Assistant Professor of Psychology, was judged to be the best of hundreds of qualifying faculty, and received the RMPA Early Career Award given to the brightest young scholar in the region. This award is given to an individual who has made notable contribution to students, the field of psychology and to the RMPA.

The RMPA is a regional division (encompassing the eight Rocky Mountain States) of the American Psychological Association, however, the meetings attract people from large and reputable universities across the country, and from abroad as well. In fact, 74 colleges and universities were represented at this year's RMPA.

The SUU contingent to the RMPA was funded in part through money allocated from the Provost's Faculty Development Committee. The Student Psychology Club and Honor Society also received funds from SUUSA and raised over $3,000 to support themselves in making the trip.

Barney remarks that endeavors such as this are a “value for the University, for the faculty members involved, for current students, and for prospective students who get a chance to hear about and witness the learning culture we have in the department and across the campus.

---

Contact Information:

435-586-5400
Contact the Office of Marketing Communication