So many things to mention this time around, some sad, and others pretty cool.

Spring 2024 is a very busy semester for us. We have hired a new faculty member, Allison Cipriano, to begin in fall 2024 as a member of the social psychology faculty. We love the fact that she is an alumna of our social master’s program, and will be coming back here after finishing her doctorate at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. There will be more on her in a future newsletter.

We are also hosting the Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference in mid-April. This conference started 36 years ago, as part of a Presidential initiative created by a Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) Past President. Our conference was the only regional conference to continue each year, rotating through campuses in our region (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and more recently Louisville) until Covid put a stop to F2F conferences for a while. We did participate in a small virtual conference with two other campuses a couple of years ago, but this will be the first in-person edition since 2019. It is also a hall mark for CPSY in particular, as this is the 35^th anniversary since we first hosted the conference (1989, at Minnetrista Cultural Center!). over the years, the conference has grown in size, and gone national (we welcome attendees from outside the region). We’ve lost counseling programs within the region (Michigan State, Ohio State, Kent State, Indiana State, Notre Dame), and picked up a few (Wayne State, Cleveland State, and yes, Ohio State making a comeback). We have also been happy to welcome back alums from across the country, often with their own students in tow, to visit. So, if you are going to be around the area in April, consider registering for the conference and stopping by; we will be so happy to see you. Did I mention we also have two preconference workshops on Friday morning (one of which being offered by a master’s/doc alum with the assistance of a current MA student)? You can attend the workshops without attending the conference, or vice versa. https://www.bsu.edu/calendar/events/academics/coh/2024/04/12/great-lakes-conference

We have also sorted our first virtual workshop related to our new cognate in Sex therapy. Dr. Laurie Mintz, psychologist from Florida, is doing a workshop for us on April 15^th. Dr. Alex Tatum has spearheaded the cognate, and we are happy to support him in this process. Again, if you are looking for some CE, consider joining us for Dr. Mintz’ workshop; she is an amazing speaker, and this one will be particularly informative. https://bsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bmheFpKFh3D3k5o

In relation to the 35^th anniversary of our first Great Lakes conference hosting experience, there is a reason that date sticks with me. This is also my 35^th anniversary of joining the Cardinal family. Who knew that I would head back across the country from Delaware to Muncie, Indiana and end up living a life here, in my first gown-up job after doc school? Not me!

On a sad note, I learned just this week that one of our former colleagues, and the previous chair of the department (formerly Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services) passed away. You will see the link to David Dixon’s obituary elsewhere in this edition. He was hired from the University of Nebraska to chair this department, and was the chair who hired me. So many counseling psychologists and counselors can tell stories of the influence David has had on their lives, persons who stretch well beyond the confines of Muncie, Indiana. Our condolences go out to his wife, daughters and sons-in-law, and grandchildren.

I am aware that so much is happening in the world, creating angst for many of us both personally and professionally. I can’t begin to address all of that here. The best I can do, inadequate as it may be, is to remind each of you to take care of yourself in the way that works best for you. We NEED you; don’t forget that.