Loretta McGregor Begins Presidential Year with Society for Teaching of Psychology
JONESBORO – For Dr. Loretta McGregor, teaching psychology is not just a job, it’s a passion.
For more than 30 years, McGregor has shared that passion, not just through her classes at Arkansas State University, but also her involvement with the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.
She is embarking on a new challenge, becoming national president for the upcoming year after serving a term as president-elect of the professional organization.
“The Society helps educators by providing resources to help them become better teachers, provides a professional identity for networking, connects educators at all levels, and champions initiatives that support educators,” McGregor said.
She joined the A-State faculty in 2005 as chair of the Department of Psychology and Counseling, and served in that position for seven years. She is a full professor of psychology.
Her involvement with the 3,600-member Society offers an opportunity for her to share her experience and insight with fellow professionals.
“Each president is expected to adopt a theme that will highlight their area of interest during their tenure in office,” McGregor explained. “My theme is ‘Cultivating the next generation of psychology educators.’ I am interested in encouraging current students to consider becoming an educator and teaching psychology at the high school, community college or university level.”
She said she also is interested in mentoring early career psychologists, who are also educators, by providing them with the tools they will need to become successful in their chosen careers.
The president is the face of the Society and represents it in public and at national meetings of the American Psychological Association.
“The president serves as the primary conduit through which the two organizations communicate,” she continued. “The president presides over meetings of the executive committee and oversees the discussions, deliberations and votes of the executive committee.”
Pointing to the group’s value, she said the Society has sponsored the creation of various resources that have revolutionized the teaching of psychology, at all academic levels. She was an invited participant in the Society’s landmark 2008 National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology, which provided findings and recommendations that were published by the American Psychological Association in a book it called a “blueprint” for the future of the discipline of psychology.
“In addition, the Society has sponsored the creation of a syllabi database that provides sample syllabi for a variety of psychology courses,” McGregor also said. “This database has proven beneficial to educators who are new to the teaching of psychology, those who are new to teaching a particular course, or those who simply desire to refresh their course syllabus.”
Following completion of her presidential year, McGregor, who holds a Ph.D. in human factors psychology from Wichita State University, will serve the society another year as past-president and member of its executive committee. During this time, she will continue to share with her fellow professionals the passion she holds for teaching psychology.
