JCSU News Release

JCSU Psychology Doctorates Return
for Symposium

September 12, 2007 – Four distinguished graduates who have earned doctorates in psychology and made significant contributions to the field will present scholarly papers in Grimes Lounge on the Johnson C. Smith University campus October 5, 2007 during the first James R. Law Memorial Symposium. The 9 a.m. event is free and open to the public.

The late Dr. Law was James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Psychology when he retired in 1995 after a 46-year JCSU career. All of the alumni doctorates were his students. Admission to the 9 a.m. Symposium is free and open to the public. Presentations during the Symposium hosted by the University Psychology Department will represent the diverse range of the alumni doctorates’ practices in the field of psychology.

Licensed Psychologist Dr. Shallary Simmons Duncan of Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA will highlight some of her groundbreaking methodologies in “motivating and mentoring college students of color.”

Social Psychologist Dr. Pamela Taylor of Deloitte & Touche, Durham, NC will share segments of her influential “longitudinal study of patterns of interethnic and interracial dating among college students.”

Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr. Gary Thompson of St. Luke’s Institute, Laurel, MD will showcase some of his revolutionary work concerning “the treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD) among adults.”

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Curtis Branch of Columbia University, New York, NY will unveil intriguing findings and evolving hypotheses in his ongoing research into “ego identity status.”

During Dr. Law’s long and influential tenure with JCSU, he held positions that included professor of psychology; chair of the psychology department; head of the division of education, physical education and psychology and vice-president for academic affairs. He joined the University in 1949 after earning a master’s degree in psychology from New York University. He earned a doctorate in psychology at Duke University in 1967.

For more information on the Symposium, contact Dr. Curtis Branch at cwb15@columbia.edu or telephone (973) 645-3042.