PSU recently recognized Wendy Palmquist, professor of psychology, and Kylo-Patrick Hart, department chair and associate professor of communication and media studies, for their excellence at PSU. Palmquist has received the 2007 Faculty Service Award, and Hart has received the Award for Distinguished Scholarship, new this year.
Palmquist has received numerous other awards during her 26 years at PSU, including the 1991 Hogan Award for support of athletics, the 2006 Kalilow Award for contributing to the advancement of women’s issues on campus, and the 2006 Distinguished Undergraduate Teacher Award. Her newest accolade recognizes and honors faculty who best reflect the university motto Ut prosim—“That I may serve.”
And serve she has. She was a founding member of the women’s studies program. She served as chair of the psychology department. She made vital contributions to PSU’s Curriculum Committee and the Athletic Council. Off campus, Palmquist has worked with Habitat for Humanity and served on the boards of Genesis Behavioral Health and the New Hampshire Humane Society.
She says family values and her own experience shaped her dedication to helping others. “Service is a part of me,” she said, “so I make the time to do it.”
For Hart, the joy of teaching is matched only by a love of learning and discovery. In addition to his extensive teaching and administrative duties, he maintains an internationally recognized research program. His research interests include media portrayals of gay men and individuals living with AIDS, as well as the impact those media portrayals have on behavior. He has written or edited three books in addition to nearly 100 articles, essays, and papers. Much of this work is required reading in college courses across the country. [For more on Hart’s writing, see “Through a Lens Darkly,” on this page.]
Hart credits PSU with providing an environment that encourages his academic and research pursuits. “There’s an openness here that you just don’t have at larger institutions,” he said.
[For information about PSU’s other teaching awards for 2007, see the Spring 2007 issue of Plymouth Magazine.]
