Plans are under way to celebrate the 40th anniversary reunion of the Department of Psychology next spring. All psychology graduates are invited to attend the reunion on Saturday, May 3.

The Department of Pyschology, in conjunction with the Office of Institutional Advancement, is working on a series of events that will include campus tours, a luncheon, lectures by faculty, and a retrospective look at the department. The event also will serve as a farewell to three longtime psychology department faculty members: Dr. Theodore N. Bosack, professor and department chair; Dr. John J. Colby, professor; and Dr. George A. Raymond, associate professor. All three plan to retire at the end of the 2007-08 academic year.

“All three professors have served the department nearly from its inception and have been instrumental in the tremendous growth of PC psychology,” said Dr. Thomas J. Guilmette, professor of psychology. “In addition, Drs. Bosack and Raymond have both served as chairs of the department for many years. The Department of Psychology and its more than 1,500 graduates owe a debt of gratitude to these three long-standing members of the department.”

Guilmette said the first graduating class, in 1968, was composed of five students and the department had only three full-time faculty members. The Class of 2008 will have more than 60 graduates, while the department has grown to 10 full-time faculty members, he said. More than 700 students enroll in PC psychology courses each year.

The Department of Psychology offers a bachelor of arts degree in general psychology. The curriculum provides a foundation in the principles of behavior that allows students to apply their knowledge in post-graduate occupations or graduate study. Advanced students are encouraged to undertake some form of independent learning experience through seminars, tutorials, independent research, and supervised field placements.

“There are many opportunities for people to support the wonderful work of the psychology department and its faculty,” said Lauren Jordan, assistant director of annual giving in the Office of Institutional Advancement.

For more information or to donate, contact Jordan at (401) 865-1512 or at ljordan1@providence.edu.