Div. 20: Adult Development and Aging Mid-Year Executive Committee Meeting
Thursday, November 12, 2020
3:00 – 5:00 pm PST
Via Zoom
In attendance: Lisa Brown, Joann Montepare, Jennifer Margrett, Courtney Polenick, Grace Caskie, Joe Gaugler, Susan Whitborne, Maggie Syme, Jeanine Parisi, Tammy English, Stacey Scott, Kelly Cichy, Kaci Fairchild, Jennifer Birdsall, Yin Liu, Rowena Gomez, Victoria Guinn, Walter Boot, Toni Wrollie, Harvey Sterns, Soomi Lee, Julie Blasekewicz Boron, Mandana Mostofi, Nicole Greenberg, Julie Hicks Patrick, Colleen Pappas
Welcome and overview
Div. 20 President Brown welcomed members and reviewed the agenda for this virtual meeting. She briefly discussed her hopes to build relationships between D20 and other related organizations including CONA and GSA, and noted that she is also planning to work with President-Elect Joann Montepare on an Age-Friendly University initiative.
Program Committee
(Maggie Syme reporting, Julie Blasekewicz Boron) – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all division programming will be virtual for APA 2021. Despite some challenges in getting responses, the committee is making plans for programs (e.g., COVID-19 health and equity program, divisional symposium). APA has not yet decided whether their programming will be virtual or in person, but they are planning to support all division programming on their virtual platform. People interested in organizing or participating in collaborative or divisional programming should contact Maggie or Julie.
It was noted that we may want to consider having our business meeting outside of regular programming.
Treasurer’s report
(Grace Caskie reporting) – Similar to the last meeting, the Div. 20 funds are in good shape. There have not been many expenses other than the awards since we did not have GSA or APA in person this year. The awards that were paid out are not yet reflected on the balance sheet, but these expenses should be reflected in the next balance sheet.
APF Fund for D20
(Joe Gaugler reporting) – With the pandemic, activities have slowed with regard to soliciting donations. The original goal was to raise $100,000 to continue and expand engagement efforts with early career psychologists. People interested in donating should contact Joe. Joe is also open to ideas about individuals or families who may be interested in contributing.
It was mentioned that the EC may want to discuss transferring $10K from the Div. 20 account to the APF Fund. Other suggestions included encouraging people to donate to the APF Fund as part of the Div. 20 75th Anniversary (e.g., “75 for 75”).
It was discussed whether we should consider using these funds to rent an Airbnb near the convention center for future APA meetings. This might also be a way to engage with early career psychologists and facilitate informal discussions. Food and drinks could be brought in from a grocery store as opposed to catering, which would save money. One downside is that someone would need to make sure the suite stays orderly. Another option may be renting a room at a nearby university for this purpose.
Age-Friendly University
(Joann Montepare reporting) – We are currently in the process of becoming an official part of the AFU network, with plans for a possible press release, information to be added to the website, an article for the next newsletter, and potentially an article for the APA Monitor. Joann would like to engage more members in these efforts (e.g., those who are part of AFUs). There are also plans to combine efforts with GSA to advance age inclusivity in psychology and strengthen the role of higher education in addressing the needs of diverse aging populations.
Council report
(Susan Whitbourne and Maggie Syme reporting) – Representatives provided updates about the new bylaws amendments and their implications for APA divisions, including student voting privileges. It was also noted that they will try to get more information on the status of APA finances.
Membership Committee
(Soomi Lee reporting, Nicholas Turiano, and Charissa Hosseini) – The trends for membership continue to be steady with student membership remaining favorable. One concern is that many new students do not renew their memberships ($15) after the first year of free membership. The committee would appreciate any ideas for strategies to retain student members. Some suggestions that were discussed included offering more student programming, distributing an electronic brochure that highlights the benefits of student membership (e.g., dissertation award), and putting together a welcome packet with information for student members. Highlighting mentoring opportunities within Div. 20 (e.g., the Mentor Matching Program) might also help to retain student members. It was also suggested that members of the early career committees and student representatives might consider hosting virtual events periodically for student members as a way to connect with peers and mentors.
Fellowship Committee
(Walter Boot reporting, Toni Wroolie) – The committee discussed strategies to recruit new fellow, including a brief presentation on how to become a fellow, reviewing listservs and the current list of D20 members (e.g., cross listing the member list with the fellow list) to see who might qualify as a fellow, and sending an invitation letter to Div. 12, Section II. To date, there has only been one application. The deadlines are December 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021, (for fellows of other divisions).
It was also noted that GSA recently changed their fellow requirements for letters of recommendation such that one letter can be submitted and signed by three individuals. This might be a good change to consider for Div. 20, however it would have to be made at the APA level.
Awards Committee
(Jeanine Parisi and Jennifer Birdsall reporting) – Reminders were made about upcoming student, research, and career awards. Student award application materials are due on April 15, 2021 and all other award application materials are due on June 1, 2021.
Some ideas were discussed about ways to promote award winners, including an article about their work (in research and/or teaching) in the newsletter to highlight their accomplishments and a video interview. Interviews could be conducted by student representatives who then write an article about it for the newsletter. In addition to highlighting the award winners, this would provide opportunities for student authorship and networking.
Education Committee
(Kelly Cichy reporting, Kaci Fairchild) – The syllabi library has been updated, and an email about new resources will be sent out at the start of the 2021 spring semester. The textbook list and graduate program directory are also in the process of being updated. Teaching tips are welcome (e.g., how to engage students with virtual learning techniques that are either platform specific or cut across platforms), and suggestions can be emailed to Kelly.
It was recommended that Div. 2 (Education) be contacted to see if they have any available materials on virtual teaching tips.
Early Career Task Force – Mentor Matching Program
(Yin Liu reporting, Rowena Gomez) – The Mentor Matching Program will recruit its next cohort in Spring 2021. There are plans to let new student members know about the program. There was a somewhat low response to the follow-up survey of mentors and mentees who participated in the Fall 2020 cohort. However, both mentors and mentees who responded reported benefits including exposure to different and broader perspectives.
It was suggested that identifying a mentor/mentee pair to write about their experiences for a newsletter article and a blurb to include in a welcome packet for new student members might help to promote the program and increase/retain student membership.
Social media and communications
(Grace Caskie reporting, Frank Infurna, Toni Bisconti, and Joann Montepare) – The next newsletter deadline is March 1, 2021, which will be published in April. It was recommended that the newsletter link be posted on our social media sites, which could be done by Toni.
It was also noted that there has been very little activity overall in terms of social media posts, and this was identified as an area in need of improvement. One idea was to involve student representatives as a way to improve our social media communication and keep students engaged.
75th Anniversary Committee
(Julie Hicks Patrick reporting, Harvey Sterns, Colleen Pappas, and Judith Sugar) – The committee is in the process of planning a separate meeting to discuss next steps, including possible divisional programming, distributing a survey, recognition of members who recently retired, honoring our oldest members, and related fundraising efforts (e.g., an anniversary photo album).
Meeting was adjourned at 5:00 pm PST.
Respectfully submitted,
Courtney A. Polenick
Div. 20 Secretary
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
University of Michigan Medical School