As we enter a new calendar year, my thoughts are focused on the future. Imagine that the year is 2030. What will the Psychology Department look like? In my vision of the future, our faculty will continue to conduct groundbreaking research and excel in teaching and mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students. However, I see a future with more faculty to carry out these missions, faculty who bring diversity and scholarship to make UF one of the most pre-eminent institutions in the country. With the support of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, we are taking our first steps in the right direction.
This August, we hired Dr. Lisa Scott as part of UF’s Neuroscience and the Brain Pre-Eminence Initiative. Dr. Scott’s research is making a critical contribution in the domain of cognitive neuroscience during development, specifically how visual experiences influence the ways in which infants and children learn to categorize people and objects and how these processes are implemented in the brain. Next August, we will add Dr. Dorothy Espelage to our faculty. Dr. Espelage is one of the most acclaimed counseling psychologists and internationally known scholars in the country, with research addressing real-world problems in schools including bullying, homophobic teasing, sexual harassment, teen dating violence, and gang violence.
In my vision of the future, Psychology will also be a leader in education, not only in its use of innovative teaching methods but also in preparing undergraduates to succeed in a variety of careers related to psychology as well as graduate and professional programs. Governor Rick Scott has recently challenged all state universities to “better align their degrees with a student’s opportunity to get a job when they graduate.” My hunch is that we are already doing a good job in this regard. I would be delighted to hear from alumni about their career paths and how their degrees in psychology contributed to their successes. How did your experience as a psychology major or graduate student at UF impact you?
Lastly, my vision of the future includes a state-of-the-art building that supports cutting-edge research, promotes interdisciplinary collaborations and funding opportunities, and prepares students to succeed in academic, industry, and human service careers. Built in 1968, the Psychology building is a bit like that Ford Pinto I used to drive: I kept it well past its prime because I could not afford to replace it. The good news is that the College recognizes our need and is planning to include Psychology in its fundraising campaign, but we will need major donors to make this vision a reality.
As alumni, not only are you a part of Psychology of the past, but you are also critical to developing Psychology of the future. I look forward to taking this journey with you.