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Campus Review
July 7, 2014
Page 2
University Professor Catherine Deering:
Inspiration and Empowerment
by John Shiffert
Clayton State Establishes University Professorships
Catherine Deering, Ph.D., ABPP, profes-
sor of Psychology and now the Jack and
Sherry Hancock University Professor at
Clayton State University, has been an
inspiration for generations of Clayton
State students, empowering thousands
over more than 20 years, and being
inspired herself by those same students.
It’s a relationship that typifies Clayton
State in general and “Kitty” Deering in
particular, in part because of the culture of
support it represents.
“I love teaching at Clayton State because
the students are dedicated to using what
they learn to improve the lives of people
in their own communities,” she says. “The
University Professorship is such an honor
because it affirms the power and impor-
tance of education, and it inspires me to
want to work even harder to give my best
to empower our students.”
Originally a member of Clayton State’s
nursing faculty, and winner of the
University’s very first Alice Smith
Faculty Member of the Year Award in
1995 as a nursing professor, Deering has
been a seminal part of the University’s
Psychology Department since 2001. She
holds a B.S.N. from Duke University, an
M.S.N. from Yale University and a Ph.D.
from the University of Rhode Island.
According to Psychology Department
Chair Dr. Donna McCarty, Deering is
exceptional as a teacher, and in service to
the University and in the mental health
community at large.
And, in addition, “she tops off an already
strong performance in the classroom by
being one of the most prolific scholars
and participants in professional develop-
ment I have ever known,” says McCarty.
Furthermore, notes McCarty, Deering was
instrumental in developing, implementing
and the instruction of the University’s
Master of Science in Clinical Psychology
program, and her expertise is of great ben-
efit to the students
who are enrolled
in that program.
“(She is) a senior
faculty member
who is an exem-
plar for the mean-
ing of the term
`Full Professor,’”
says McCarty.
Dr. Nasser Momayezi, dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences at Clayton
State, agrees with that characterization
and adds that Clayton State’s University
Professors have all exhibited a long term
commitment to the mission and goals of
Clayton State; displaying the highest stan-
dards of good character, academic integri-
ty, and leadership.
“University Professorships provide recog-
nition and support to exemplary faculty
The word professor is derived from Latin
as, “A teacher of highest rank.” Typically,
colleges and universities reserve the title,
“University Professor,” for members of
the faculty who make a meaningful
impact in the lives of students and col-
leagues. The rank is a significant designa-
tion serving as tangible evidence of the
University’s commitment to attracting and
retaining stellar faculty; thus ensuring a
high quality learning experience for all its
students.
Thanks to the generosity of several key
donors and the Clayton State University
Foundation, the University recently
bestowed the title, “University Professor,”
on six faculty members during the Annual
Faculty/Staff
Recognition
Awards
Program held in Clayton State’s renowned
Spivey Hall.
“This spring we began a tradition of
awarding University Professorships, a
designation which I think is emblematic
of the celebration of faculty and their con-
tribution to the education of our students,”
says Clayton State President Dr. Thomas
Hynes.
Clayton State’s initial University
Professors include: Dr. Michelle Furlong,
department chair of natural sciences; Dr.
Jennell Charles, professor of nursing from
the College of Health; Dr. Catherine
“Kitty” Deering, professor of psychology;
Dr. Mary Lamb, associate professor of
English; Dr. Reza Kheirandish, associate
professor of economics; and Dr.
Christopher Raridan, associate professor
of mathematics.
Awarded faculty will carry the title of,
“University Professor,” for two years
allowing up to 12 faculty to have the dis-
tinction at any given time. This recogni-
tion comes with a $5,000 annual salary
supplement. The Clayton State University
Foundation assisted in creating the mone-
tary supplement by creating a matching
dollar-for- dollar gifts program.
Fittingly, three Foundation Board mem-
bers were in the audience for the
announcement
of
University
Professorships that either bore their name,
or the name of their organization.
Foundation Chair Tim Crawford and his
wife Sabrina Crawford, owners of
Heritage Cadillac Mitsubishi, were pres-
ent for the initial Heritage Cadillac
Mitsubishi University Professorship
being awarded to Dr. Charles. Past
Foundation Chair Leonard Moreland,
Heritage Bank CEO, was present for the
awarding of the Heritage Bank University
Professorship to Dr. Furlong. Similarly, a
third member of the Foundation Board,
Jack Hancock, and his wife, Sherry
Hancock, witnessed the awarding of the 2
Deering
Deering, cont’d., p. 18
Professorships, cont’d., p. 13