Dean’s Welcome: Embracing Change

Welcome to the 2013 edition of the Gordon F. Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies Newsletter.

Just as higher education is changing, so too is the field of psychology. In this newsletter and upcoming issues, we address these changes with a new series on the future of psychotherapy. Alex Levi, M.A. ’73, Ph.D. ’75, kindly shared his ideas for the first article. We invite you to share your predictions by emailing publicaffairs@adelphi.edu and, in future issues, we’ll bring you more ideas on this topic from alumni, faculty, administrators and students.

In “Gut Instincts and Google,” we illustrate how psychology can meet new and changing demands of business and politics. Derner Professor Joel Weinberger, Ph.D., teamed up with Young & Rubicam to study how our conscious and unconscious values affect our purchasing decisions.

Psychology can be viewed as a basic science, which has applied aspects like clinical and school psychology. I even believe that the commonly used STEM acronym—science, technology, engineering and math—should be expanded to encompass the psychological sciences. As you may know, the MCAT—the medical school entrance exam—now includes questions on psychology and the neurosciences. Francine P. Conway, Ph.D. ’99, who was recently promoted to full professor and who chairs the undergraduate psychology department, is working on a plan to help prepare Adelphi pre-med students for this recent development.

Derner is blessed with excellent and dedicated faculty. In addition to Dr. Conway’s recent promotion, Jairo N. Fuertes, Ph.D., an associate professor, was awarded tenure. Professors Robert Bornstein, Ph.D., and Dr. Weinberger recently received Adelphi’s highly regarded Professor Recognition Awards.

I’m pleased to introduce two of our recently appointed faculty members—Laura E. Brumariu, Ph.D., and M. Joy McClure, Ph.D. In this newsletter, we also profile two dedicated adjunct professors—Nirav Soni, Ph.D. ’12, and Bernadine Waller, M.A. ’10—who contribute to the high quality of our teaching.

I invite you to visit our recently redesigned website and wish you a wonderful fall.

Jacques P. Barber, Ph.D., ABBP
Dean
Gordon F. Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies