For those of you who wander down the MAC Hall C Wing from time to time, you may have noticed that Dr. Gurung is no longer in his old office.  Don’t worry, he hasn’t gone far – just down the hall – and his moving reflects the fact that Human Development has a new Chair, Dr. Vespia.

What this means to you is that you should bring your Chair-related concerns to Dr. Vespia rather than Dr. Gurung.  Of course, the first place you should start with any concerns or questions about your major or minor in Human Development is your advisor, as he or she can usually help you. 

In the meantime, we want to extend a hearty thanks to Dr. Gurung for serving us as Chair for the last three years and thank Dr. Vespia for taking on this important responsibility for the next three years. 

Dr. Regan Gurung had a pretty amazing year by any standard – particularly by being named Wisconsin Professor of the Year and being elected President of the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Well, he’s at it again, having been honored with two more wonderful awards just since our last issue in the Spring. First, he was named the Midwestern Regional Faculty Advisor Award Winner for Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. Second, he became the Ben J. and Joyce Rosenberg Professor of Human Development and Psychology at the fall convocation that opens the academic year at UW-Green Bay. A named professorship is a significant honor, and, perhaps best yet, it comes with a really cool medallion he’ll get to wear at each graduation ceremony (click here for photo and complete news release). In future issues, we’re thinking we might save space by instead listing the awards he has NOT won (e.g., we’re pretty sure he hasn’t earned the Nobel Peace Prize – yet!). Seriously…congratulations, Dr. Gurung!

The Gerontology Center of the University of Wisconsin Green Bay proudly announces that its website is up and very navigable.  In keeping with the traditions of the University, the Gerontology Center’s foci are interdisciplinary and community oriented.  Thus the website is a forum to bring together faculty and students as well as professional and lay-members of our broader community.  The web-site features the Gerontology Center’s upcoming programs, book reviews, research opportunities, as well as local, state, and national resources. Please feel free to browse the site and let us know your reaction to the website of a center that has as its goal the promoting of education and knowledge of continuing adult development.

The Gerontology Center has also announced a series of colloquia and brown bag talks that are open to all. The brown bag discussions are listed on their website. Fall colloquia include:

• “Economics of Health Care Reform” presented by Dr. Kumar Kangayappan, Professor of Urban and Regional Studies, Economics and Interdisciplinary Studies, 2 pm, October 5th, 2010. (University Union, Alumni Room B)
• “Gender and Aging” presented by Dr. Christine Smith, Assistant Professor of Human Development, Psychology, and Women’s & Gender Studies, 2 pm, November, 11th, 2010. (University Union, Alumni Room B)

The Child Life Department at St. Vincent Hospital is having an art show with paintings made by 28 kids with cancer and 2 children with other illnesses. There will be a total of 50 paintings. Kim, an art therapist, has been working hard with the kids to create the paintings, and they would love to see you there. All art will be on display for the month of September at The Art Garage. On September 30th all of kids, families, and friends will be invited to a reception at The Art Garage. It is open to the public. Paintings can be purchased anytime during the month of September and can be picked up on September 30th.

This may be old news to some, but we wanted you all to know that, last November, our very own Dr. Regan Gurung was named Wisconsin Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.  It’s an incredible honor, and we are all very proud to work with him.  So proud, in fact, that a new flamingo has mysteriously emerged in Dr. Gurung’s likeness right outside his door in the C-Wing of MAC Hall. Donned in Dr. Gurung’s signature purple regalia, the bird showcases his many books and even includes a photo from the award ceremony.  While we never know who creates these beautifully decorated birds (click on the PF Legend link under Topics on right side of your screen to learn more), we want to thank the person/people responsible and encourage students to come take a look.

Those of you who have ventured up to the C Wing of MAC Hall have likely seen a new face roaming our hallways.  That’s right, we are excited to welcome our newest faculty member, Dr. Melissa Schnurr, who joined the Human Development faculty this year after completing her doctoral work in Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University. She’s teaching Middle Childhood and Adolescence and Infancy and Early Childhood while working on a research program in the area of romantic relationships and relationship violence. Please make sure to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Schnurr when you meet her and, if you would like to know more about her and all the faculty in the Human Development department, check us out at http://www.uwgb.edu/humdev/. 

The Human Development Department is thrilled to share the news that we will be welcoming a new faculty member this Fall. Soon-to-be Professor Melissa Schnurr will be joining the faculty after completing her doctoral work in Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University. She will be teaching both Middle Childhood and Adolescence and Infancy and Early Childhood next year. She has research interests in the areas of romantic relationships and relationship violence. Thank you to all students who attended teaching or research colloquia and who took faculty candidates to lunch. One of the most consistent comments we hear from our candidates is how very impressive our students are!

Have you been complaining about the five-page reaction paper you have to write for a class, or even about the 20 page paper for your internship? Well, you’re not going to get much sympathy here. Dr. Regan Gurung has had four books published within the last couple of months. He is the proud co-author or co-editor of the following texts: Culture and Mental Health, Exploring Signature Pedagogies, Getting Culture, and Optimizing Teaching and Learning. You may or may not know that doing research is actually part of the job of a college or university faculty member, but producing four books in such a short period of time is something most professors will only ever dream of (or, more likely, have nightmares about!). So…if you see Dr. Gurung, please pass on some very well-deserved congratulations!

For those of you who missed the announcement last year, HUD and PSYCH are thrilled to welcome two new professors to our ranks this year. Dr. Deirdre Radosevich is teaching Theories of Personality and Tests and Measurements. She holds a Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from St. John’s University and has had significant advanced training in the treatment of childhood trauma. Dr. Christine Smith is a Social Psychologist who also earned a doctoral certificate in Women’s Studies. She previously taught at Antioch College in Ohio, and she will be offering courses in Introduction to Psychology, Experimental Psychology, and Psychology of Women. Please extend a warm UWGB welcome to Drs. Radosevich and Smith when you meet them. If you would like to see the latest picture of all department faculty members (now 14 strong!), please check out the Human Development website (http://www.uwgb.edu/humdev/).

Professor Herzog’s Health Psychology class will have a special presentation entitled “Health Psychology Focus: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” this semester. It will include invited guest speakers and will cover information related to veterans and to sexual assault or other trauma survivors. We would encourage interested students to join the Health Psychology class on Thursday, October 9^th from 12:30-1:50 p.m. in the Christie Theatre (there’s room for an additional 130 students!).