Wickline Receives National Teaching Excellence Award

August 7, 2012

Virginia (Ginger) Wickline, assistant professor of psychology at Miami University Middletown, has received the 2012 Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award given by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.  The national award will be presented at the 2012 Convention of the American Psychological Association in Orlando, Fla. later this month. 

The award recognizes teachers who are not only effective and innovative in the classroom but who also excel in service and the scholarship of teaching and learning.  Wickline was nominated because of her partnerships with the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Abilities First, and Middletown High School, who meet for semi-structured social events (Parties with a Purpose) twice a year. Her research on these events has shown that they reduce students’ fear of and discomfort with people with disabilities. Also recognized was her “Crossing Borders” program that joins psychology students across Miami’s campuses with international students from Oxford for intercultural conversations to increase cultural sensitivity. A summary of this program will be published in an upcoming 2012 volume of Psychology Learning and Teaching.

She and her student group, SERVE (Students Engaging in Real Volunteer Efforts) have also hosted a number of large-scale events that give back to the community, including the annual MUM Family Fun Fest (September 30, 2012 from 2-6 PM) and the spring HawkFest Music Extravaganza.

Wickline joined Miami University in 2009.  Prior to this she held teaching posts at the College of Wooster, Penn State University and Emory University.  She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Anderson University and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Emory University. Among other classes, she teaches Introduction to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Psychology Across Cultures at Miami University’s Middletown campus.

“This recognition is extremely well-deserved and highlights Dr. Wickline’s commitment to and enthusiasm for teaching undergraduate psychology,” said Regional Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Rob Schorman.  “This award just confirms the wonderful things we have been hearing from her students since she joined our faculty.”