Joan Glutting

Excellence in Teaching, 2014

Psychology

Joan Glutting brings to her clinical psychology courses nearly 20 years' experience in professional clinical practice, administration, and consulting, which has influenced how she teaches, she says. It has made her classroom student-centered, just as her psychotherapy practice is patient- or client-centered. Her classes are highly interactive, energetic, and fun. That's fun, not easy–something to which her students readily attest. Her professional experience also gives her a wealth of examples that she uses to help students connect their in-class learning to the world beyond.

One of those connections provided a satisfying and startling teaching moment for Professor Glutting. In her course on abnormal behavior, she invites speakers from the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) to speak about their experiences coping with mental illness. One year, and to her surprise, a former student was one of the NAMI speakers. She told the class that one of Professor Glutting's lectures had inspired her to address some treatment issues and to become an advocate for herself and others with a mental illness. Professor Glutting was flabbergasted, she said, to learn that something she had taught had such a profound effect. "I felt so proud of her and what she has accomplished and validated in my belief that teaching is a valuable and impactful career," said Professor Glutting. The former student is now pursuing a doctorate in psychology.

Judging from student comments, Professor Glutting has made an impact on many such students. They consistently praise her for the concern she shows and for how she works to keep all students engaged and challenged. As one colleague put it: "Joan is truly a phenomenon."

By: Kenneth Fuld, Dean, College of Liberal Arts