Committee members and staff

Co-chair: Kris Leppien-Christensen, PhD (Saddleback College, Calif.)
Regan A.R. Gurung, PhD (University of Wisconsin, Green Bay)
Jane Halonen, PhD, (University of West Florida)
Linda Petroff, PhD (Bellevue College, NE)
Pat Puccio, EdD (DePaul University, Chicago, Ill.)
Helen Taylor, PhD (Bellevue College, Wash.)
Jennifer Thompson, PhD (University of Maryland University College)
Jason Young, PhD (Hunter College)

Julie Penley, PhD (El Paso Community College, Tex.) served as the PT@CC Committee liaison to CABE
John Norcross, PhD (University of Scranton) served as the Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) liaison to CABE

Staff Liaisons: Martha Boenau and Robin Hailstorks, PhD

Committee overview

In 2014, the APA Committee on Psychology Teachers at Community Colleges (PT@CC) participated in discussions and planning for the proposed Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education (CABE). As approved by Council in August 2014, CABE was established to broaden the mission of PT@CC in a way to more fully address the range of issues and concerns of psychology faculty at both 2- and 4-year colleges and universities. CABE consists of eight members: four members who represent psychology faculty at 2-year colleges offering the associate degree, and four members who represent psychology faculty whose primary teaching responsibility is undergraduate coursework at colleges or universities offering the baccalaureate degree.

The APA Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education (CABE) met for the first time in March 2015. CABE also held regular conference calls to discuss ongoing programs, activities, and new initiatives. The following is a listing of the priorities and the mission of CABE:

  • Represent psychology faculty teaching at undergraduate institutions.
  • Promote within all undergraduate institutions the highest professional standards for teaching of psychology as a scientific discipline with applications to a wide range of human concerns.
  • Develop leadership qualities among psychology faculty at undergraduate institutions and increase their participation and representation in psychology organizations.
  • Establish and maintain communication with all groups involved in the teaching of psychology and with the greater psychological community.
  • Encourage scholarship on teaching and learning at all undergraduate institutions for the purpose of giving students the best possible educational opportunities.

CABE met in September 2015 and proposed a 2016 APA Summit on National Assessment in Psychology (APA SNAP). APA SNAP will be an invitational conference that will convene 30 experts in educational assessment to develop an online, searchable, database of assessment tools based on the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major: Version 2.0. The conference will be held on June 21-25, 2016 at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Convention programming in 2015 (Toronto, Ontario)

CABE sponsored three hours of convention programming and a reception at the APA convention:

CABE Invited Address: The Diane Halpern Lecture
John Norcross, PhD, University of Scranton
Undergraduate Study in Psychology: What APA’s National Survey Tells and Warns Us

Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education Discussion Hour
Chair: Jane Halonen, PhD, University of West Florida
Linda Petroff, PhD, Bellevue University
Helen K. Taylor, PhD, Bellevue College
Jennifer Lynn Wagner Thompson, PhD, University of Maryland University College

CABE Symposium on Preparation for the Workforce with an Associate's or Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
Bernie Carducci, PhD, Indiana University Southeast
Jaye Van Kirk, Mass., San Diego Mesa College

CABE also sponsored a joint reception and awards ceremony with Psi Beta.

Communications

An article about CABE and its programs and activities appeared in the Psychology Teacher Network (PTN) newsletter, a quarterly publication for teachers of introductory psychology. The PTN features articles, activities, book reviews, announcements, and other news items for psychology teachers in high schools and 2- and 4-year colleges and universities.

CABE sent a mass mailing (e-blast) to the APA Community College Teacher Affiliates to provide an update about the changes that resulted from modifying the role and mission of CABE in place of the PT@CC Committee.

Award for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at a Two-Year College/Campus

The Teaching Awards Committee selected Diane Finley, PhD, of Prince George’s Community College (Largo, Maryland) as the recipient of the third annual Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at a Two-Year College or Campus Award. A press release about the award to Finley is posted on the APA website.

Student Presentation Contest

CABE sponsored the 13th annual Student Presentation Contest. This competition was developed by the PT@CC Committee to recognize creativity and technical competence of outstanding community college psychology students. A judging panel reviewed the submissions and made awards for first, second, and third place as follows:

First Place: "Thanks for the Memories"
Paper and Presentation by Lyndsay N. Smokovitz
Faculty Sponsor: Maureen Donegan, Delta College

Second Place: "What’s in it for me? An Investigation of Sexual Narcissism in Sexual Relationships"
Paper and Presentation by Nicole Cilona, Lauren Mandilakis, Jessica Olin, Roberta Rodriguez, and Karen Vasquez
Faculty Sponsor: Michelle Foust, Lorain County Community College

Third Place: "The Competitiveness Differences Between Winners, Losers, and Gender"
Paper and Presentation by Desirae Revalee
Faculty Sponsor: Netta Schroer, Palomar College

Teaching Resources Awards

CABE announced the winners of the 2015 Teaching Resources Awards. Developed by the PT@CC Committee as a means to recognize and encourage sharing of high quality instructional techniques, community college instructors were invited to submit an original demonstration, an individual or group class activity, an interactive teaching/learning module, or other pedagogy designed to illustrate a psychological concept or theory. A judging panel made the following awards:

Tied for First Place

Correlational Designs
Andrea M. Macari, PhD, Suffolk County Community College (New York)

Freud on Facebook
Sample presentations: Rogers Facebook example, Freud Facebook example
Cari Stevenson, PhD candidate, Kankakee Community College (Illinois)