Tell us a little about your background and how you developed an interest in psychology.

I began college as an architecture major but switched to psychology because I found myself more interested in the people than the building. (Not coincidentally, I also discovered that I had virtually no artistic talent for architecture.) Most of my undergraduate training was in experimental psychology (read: lots of rats) and this continued through my first year of grad school at Purdue. Since then my career has been in counseling psychology.

In one way or the other my family & I have been involved in education for about 45 years. My wife, Pam, is a guidance counselor & teacher at Cherokee Trail Elementary School; my older daughter, Lynn, teaches first grade in Blacksburg, VA.; my younger daughter, Carly, is a freshman at Dixie High School here in Due West.

When did you first come to Erskine College and how has your department developed since then?

I came to Erskine in 1974. The change in the department that I have been most associated with has been the development of a wide variety of internship opportunities for our students, especially those interested in a career in mental health. We have benefited from a very supportive long-term relationship with the South Carolina Department of Mental Health as well as with numerous other social service providers.

What are some memorable as of your teaching career at Erskine?

Two points that have been important to me and my career at Erskine: first, I spent twelve years spent as a counselor for the Abbeville County Alcohol & Drug Abuse Commission. Second, for the past eight years I have “coached” the men's & women's cross country teams. As with my faculty experience, I have learned much more from them than I could ever teach them. What a privilege!

You are among the first to use Psychology: A ConnecText by Terry Pettijohn, a new psychology textbook/web combination. What exactly is a textbook/web combination and how is it working out in your January term course?

Erskine was one of only twelve colleges nationwide to begin using this technology this January. It involves the use of a publisher-developed web site that is coordinated with the text and the professor. Students are able to get their syllabus and assignments from my web site, explore a wide variety of interactive supplementary material keyed to topics in each chapter, make use of numerous interactive study aids, and take quizzes on-line that are scored by the publisher and sent to my email (within a matter of seconds!). Students reported appreciating having the material available to them in formats additional to the usual text and lecture. I often would receive emails from them throughout the week (and even some on the weekends) and noticed that they were corresponding with the webmaster through the provided electronic bulletin board. I hope to expand my use of this technology to the regular term and to other courses.

What do you see as the most promising career directions for psychology and sociology majors today?

I have always enjoyed seeing our graduates five or ten years after they have earned their degrees. They have found careers in virtually every sector of the employment world and I expect that will be true of this year's graduates. Historically, some have stayed and worked for Erskine while others have traveled the world as officers in the military. Some have taken entry level positions in mental health and others have established careers in the business sector. Of course, many have gone on to graduate schools from California to Great Britain.