Jane S. Halonen, PhD, was awarded an APA Presidential Citation in recognition of her exceptional leadership and dedication to the promotion of excellence in undergraduate psychology education.
In 2023, as chair of the Board of Educational Affairs’ (BEA) Task Force on Psychology Major Competencies, Halonen directed—for the third time—a national effort to redefine the knowledge and skills that undergraduate psychology majors should be expected to acquire at the associate and baccalaureate levels of study in psychology. In this most recent update, inspired by a vision that psychology be recognized as a high-impact undergraduate major that empowers people from all backgrounds to make a difference in their lives and communities, Halonen led the task force in making a transformational revision to this widely used policy document.
Halonen’s success on this recent initiative is not surprising given the instrumental role she has played over the past three decades supporting APA’s efforts to define academic guidelines across the educational spectrum. She served on APA’s Committee on Undergraduate Education in the late 1980s, helped plan and facilitate the 1991 APA National Conference on Enhancing the Quality of Undergraduate Education in Psychology, and cochaired APA’s Summit on National Assessment in Psychology in 2016. Halonen was also involved in developing the APA Guidelines on Core Learning Goals for Master’s Degree Graduates in Psychology, approved by Council in 2018. Moreover, as a member of the APA Introductory Psychology Initiative team, she played a key role in redefining the introductory psychology course by helping to produce an innovative set of student learning outcomes for the class. Throughout her career, Halonen has been a key leader, respected mentor, dedicated and caring colleague, tireless advocate, and friend to so many in our psychology community.
In recognition of her years of service and significant contributions to APA, her efforts to promote excellence in the teaching of psychology, and her unwavering dedication to students and teachers of psychology, it was an honor to present Halonen with a Presidential Citation.
