In this edition of Commission on Accreditation (CoA) Update, we sit down to interview Commissioner Doug Behrend, PhD. Behrend has been on CoA for almost one full year in the Board of Scientific Affairs seat.
When did you join CoA and how has your experience been so far?
I joined CoA in July, 2015 so I am still quite new to the process. The experience has been educational, challenging and even enjoyable at times. I'm especially impressed with the dedication and hard work of the members of the commission and the staff.
What sparked your interest in joining the CoA?
A good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless, Wally Dixon) served on CoA and asked on behalf of COGDOP if I was interested in being a member. I decided to look into the possibility and here I am. I've experienced accreditation from the point of view of a faculty member and department chair so I thought it would be enlightening to view things from the other side of the table.
As a graduate student, what — if anything — did you know about accreditation?
Almost nothing. My degree is from the Institute of Child Development at Minnesota where it was separate from the department of psychology so I wasn't ever involved in the accreditation process.
Your latest claim to fame is that you were a contestant on the game show Jeopardy. Did your expertise in developmental psychology give you a unique advantage over the competition?
Hmmm. Not really, though my interest in language and language development definitely did, as there were a couple of word play categories and I knew that Guanhua was another name for Mandarin. Wait, I got a question about mitosis correct ahead of my opponents in my second game even though one was a med student and the other had a PhD in biochemistry. Prenatal development FTW.
You serve as the department chair at the University of Arkansas. How has your role on the commission changed — or reaffirmed — how you make decisions on behalf of your own program?
Good question. I was chair previously from 2003-11 before taking over again last year so I had seen accreditation from that perspective before, and we just had our own site visit last month. I think being on CoA has reminded me to try to stay focused on our goals as a department and that faculty and student achievements — clinical, nonclinical and undergraduate — should be consistent with those goals. And that afternoon snacks are necessary.
Anything else you would like to add?
Just to once again praise the members of the commission and the staff for their dedication and service to the field. They all have my fullest respect.
