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Psychology department celebrates its 75th

 anniversary

Established in 1938 by Dr. Jon G. Jenkens, a Ph.D. from Cornell, 2013 marks the 75th 

anniversary of the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Initially a faculty of only five, the department flourished to include approximately 169 faculty

and staff members, 1,221 undergraduate students and 90 doctoral students. The Department of

Psychology is the largest major in The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, according to

Dr. Jack J. Blanchard, department chair and professor. The department also is widely renowned,

holding the #40 position in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of top graduate programs in the

nation.

The Department of Psychology started in response to military needs during World War II,

focusing on applied psychology and cognitive testing used to evaluate army recruits and ensure

 proper military placement. Because all able-bodied males were called to duty, World War II

increased the opportunities for women to hold positions in the department, according to William

Hodos, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus. Today, women make up one third of the

faculty.

In 1949, Thomas G. Andrews was appointed department chair. Under Andrews, the department

continued to expand by making connections with the National Institute of Mental Health, Walter

Reed Army Institute of Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA), and the

Veteran’s Administration. These connections allowed the department to bring in funding for

research, which assisted in the development of laboratories for the growing graduate program.

When Andrews resigned in 1966, the new chair, Claude J. Bartlett began to shift the focus of the

department toward industrial organizational psychology, focusing on studying behavior in

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groups in order to identify and recruit the best individuals for employment. Bartlett’s model

closely resembles the department today, which focuses on three themes: Brain, mind and

 behavior, Mental health, and Social, group and cultural processes, according to Blanchard.

As the department grew, its initial location in Morrill Hall no longer sufficed. In 1971, the

current building opened as the home to the psychology and zoology (now biology) departments.

Over the next 30 years, the department continued to thrive.

In recent years, the Maryland Neuroimaging Center (MNC) has helped further the reach of the

Psychology department.

“The Maryland Neuroimaging Center uses MRI to take images and FMRI to look at the brain as

it works,” said Blanchard, “It is a resource that allows our faculty to use state-of-the-art facilities

to conduct their research.”

As the Department of Psychology embarks on its next 75 years, with the support of the dean and

the provost, the current building will undergo a $4.5 million multi-phase renovation, beginning

on the first floor. The renovation will include restructuring and improving undergraduate

 program offices, as well as creating state-of-the-art seminar rooms to help continue the education

and advancement of the department.

“Our ambition is to become a top ranked psychology department in the country and continue to

 build in neuroscience and genetics,” Blanchard said.

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