In our first year as TIP-Topics columnists, our columns have offered suggestions for successfully gaining entry into I-O graduate programs, navigating I-O grad school as an international student, and grappling with the common work–life balance issues that grad students face. We now turn our attention to the underexplored yet critically important topic of project management during the graduate school years. Given that I-O grad students balance their coursework, research activities, professional endeavors (i.e., teaching assistantships, research assistantships, internships), and service, project management issues can plague students during their time in grad school and, potentially, impact their future on the job market.

I found out I received tenure at the University of Arizona on April 27, 2017. It was a Friday, and my department was spending the afternoon volunteering at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in Tucson. I was standing at a table sorting cucumbers next to one of my PhD advisees talking about projects and how I was probably going to skip on the department happy hour because my parents were visiting for the weekend (a total fortuitous fluke in timing). I was so focused on the fact that my hand had literally just gone through the middle of a rotted cucumber that I didn’t see my department chair, Jerel Slaughter, coming over with a huge smile on his face. I looked up and I immediately knew. Nathan Podsakoff was promoted to full professor at the same time (he’d never announce it himself, so I’ll take advantage of my position one last time and announce it for him—I’m so, so proud of you, friend) and the department happy hour quickly became a tenure and promotion celebration for the two of us. My parents came with Mike. They were so proud and so relieved, because they all knew first hand how hard the last 5 years were on me (and them) at times. I was gifted a purple satin Miss-America-type sash from my PhD student that was bedazzled and said “Tenure, b**ches!” It is, almost a month later, still one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It was the perfect way to end this academic chapter. Oh, this crazy chapter—one of turbulence, and unexpected moves, and more self-doubt than I am probably willing to admit to myself. But, this crazy chapter also came with a lot of feelings of triumph, and amazing collaborators turned friends, and finally feeling as though I landed where I was always meant to be.

Welcome back readers! For this issue I’m very excited to be joined by Donald Truxillo, the 2017 winner of SIOP’s distinguished teaching award! Donald is a professor of I-O psychology at Portland State University, which he joined 24 years ago after a career in industry. His research, which concerns applicant reactions to the selection process, issues associated with older workers, and the antecedents of workplace safety, has been published in top tier journals including JAP, PPsych, and JOM, and has received grant funding from the NSF and NIOSH. Many I-O psychology instructors and students are familiar with his popular textbook, Psychology and Work: Perspectives on Industrial and Organizational Psychology with PSU colleague coauthors Talya Bauer (2012 SIOP Distinguished Teacher awardee and current SIOP president) and Berrin Erdogan (SIOP Fellow). Donald is a dedicated and innovative teacher, having long incorporated applied experiences into his classes and having received two Fullbright teaching fellowships, two fellowships from the Italian Ministry of Education, as well as regularly teaching at the University of Trento, Italy, and serving on their doctoral training committee. He has supervised 17 completed doctoral dissertations since joining PSU.

On April 17, SIOP submitted written testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) urging them to appropriate $8.45 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in fiscal year (FY) 2019.  The testimony also conveys the importance and applications of social and behavioral science research funded through the Foundation.  SIOP’s testimony will be incorporated into the Congressional Record to inform funding deliberations in the House and Senate. 

As part of our ongoing series to recognize the achievements of SIOP’s award winners, this edition focuses on several of our Distinguished Contributions Award winners: Eden King, one of the winners of our Distinguished Service Contributions Award; Scott Tannenbaum, Distinguished Professional Contributions Award; and Dov Eden, Distinguished Scientific Contributions.

I have often wondered what it takes to earn one of these distinguished awards.