David Rollock named 150th Anniversary Professor

(From left) Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity; Thomas Berndt, senior associate dean for academic affairs and administration, College of Health and Human Sciences; David Rollock, professor of psychological sciences; Peter Hollenbeck, vice provost for faculty affairs; and Chris Ladisch, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood) Download image

David Rollock, professor of psychological sciences, has been named a 150th Anniversary Professor by the Office of the Provost, honoring his achievements in teaching at Purdue.

“David Rollock embodies the qualities that the 150th Anniversary Professorship seeks to recognize including excellence in teaching and a history of outstanding mentoring,” said Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “Through these named professorships, we are demonstrating our commitment to recognizing great teachers who contribute to the overall excellence of Purdue.”

The Office of the Provost will name 10 faculty with the designation of 150th Anniversary Professor, which coincides with the upcoming 150th anniversary of Purdue. Faculty who receive this distinction also will receive an annual discretionary allocation of $25,000.

Rollock has been an advocate for instructional excellence over decades of classroom teaching. He redesigned the multiyear curriculum of abnormal psychology and developed an empirically validated teaching evaluation. He also has served as director of clinical training and chair of Purdue’s Teaching Academy.

Throughout his time at Purdue, Rollock has earned multiple awards recognizing his excellence in teaching, including the James C. Naylor Award for Teaching Excellence and the Health and Human Sciences Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Education. He is also a recipient of the 2012 Charles B. Murphy Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching and a member of Purdue’s Book of Great Teachers.

“He epitomizes what it means to be not just a professor in title but a teacher, guiding and molding future generations,” said a former student and now Virginia psychologist.

The principal criteria for selection as a 150th Anniversary Professor included:

* Development or transformation of courses and/or curricula.

* Receipt of Purdue teaching awards at the department/school, college and university level (i.e., Murphy Award or election to the Teaching Academy).

* History of outstanding teaching evaluations from faculty peers, students and/or alumni.

Other considerations included mentoring and contributing to the academic, career and personal development of students within and outside the classroom, as evidenced by one or more the following:

* History of outstanding mentoring evaluations from faculty peers, students or alumni

* Receipt of unit, college or university awards for student mentoring.

* Sustained involvement as an advisor or mentor to student organizations (e.g., academic clubs, university clubs, club sports, student initiatives).

The 150th Anniversary Professors were selected by a committee of 13 senior faculty who are distinguished and named professors, winners of the Murphy Award, and members of the Teaching Academy. The inaugural 150th Anniversary Professorships will be funded by the Provost’s Office until donors are found to endow these named professorships.