September 08, 2005
Swanson is new psychology department chair
Swanson, whose research interests include career development and vocational psychology, is only the fourth person in the department's 50-year history to serve as chair.
Swanson came to SIUC in 1986. Assuming the role of chairperson in early July marked her first foray into an administrative role.
She hopes to build on the department's existing strengths and anticipate the program's direction in the future.
"This is an incredibly strong and productive department at the undergraduate and graduate levels," Swanson said. "We've had a great degree of turnover in faculty, primarily due to retirement. We have a young and vibrant faculty. I want to keep us on track and try to anticipate where the program is going. That's quite a challenge in itself."
Swanson is the author of two books and numerous book chapters and research articles. She is a fellow of the Division of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association.
She holds doctoral and master's degrees from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree from Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College, all in psychology.
SIUC's psychology program offers a broad curriculum to undergraduates, both majors and non-majors. The nationally recognized graduate program offers doctoral training in four main specializations: applied research psychology, brain and cognitive sciences, clinical psychology and counseling psychology.
Providing for succession at every level is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.