Candidates for APA President
How are you going to recruit, retain and involve individuals primarily engaged in scientific research?
Improving the practical value of APA membership to the research community is critical. New reasonably priced "must-have" services such as enhanced access to scholarly literature and funding opportunities via personalized search technology can happen quickly. New research tools such as Internet-based data collection systems could follow. Meaningful scientific exchange, too often absent at our conventions, would benefit from organizing specialized smaller meetings at different times of the year. Strong public advocacy for research funding based on scientific merit free from political interference would further demonstrate the value of APA membership to the community of psychology researchers.
Approximately one-third of APA members work in educational settings (across all levels of education). What would you do as APA president to address their issues of concern?
As an experienced college dean responsible for both graduate and undergraduate education, I understand the pressures on both faculty and administrators. APA can do more to assist faculty by steps such as establishing online libraries of instructional materials and syllabi, as well as advocating for increased research support for junior faculty. We can do more for our students by lobbying hard for improved student aid and loan forgiveness programs, as well as increased participation for psychology in federal Graduate Medical Education funding. We can also do more for educational integrity by fighting politically motivated limitations on academic freedom.
