APA honors Prof. James Jones

James Jones, professor of psychology and director of UD’s Black American Studies Program: “The face of psychology has changed dramatically over the last 30 years, and the MFP [APA’s Minority Fellowship Program] has been a consistent and effective force for these positive changes.”

4:27 p.m., Dec. 7, 2005--James Jones, professor of psychology and director of UD’s Black American Studies Program, has been honored by the American Psychological Association (APA) for his work on behalf of the Minority Fellowship Program, a unit within the APA dedicated to expanding opportunities for minorities in the field of psychology.

Jones, who began working with the APA in 1977 to pilot the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), received the tribute at this year’s APA Convention in Washington, D.C., where he was honored with remarks from Norman Anderson, chief executive officer of the APA, and presented with tokens of gratitude from alumni of the fellowship program.

“It was a tremendous honor to facilitate the professional growth and opportunities for so many psychologists of color,” Jones, said. “The face of psychology has changed dramatically over the last 30 years, and the MFP has been a consistent and effective force for these positive changes.”

A professor of psychology at UD since 1982, Jones also has continued to work at the APA headquarters in Washington, D.C., serving as director of the APA Minority Fellowship Program and promoting issues of ethnic minority inclusion within the APA.

During his tenure with the organization, which ends in December with his retirement from the APA post, Jones also helped establish the Public Interest Directorate (serving as its first executive director), APA’s Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs, Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest and Office of HIV/AIDS.

“James filled several roles at the APA and essentially built the Minority Fellowship Program from the ground up,” Kim Nickerson, Minority Fellowship Program associate director, said. “He also has been very influential in many of APA’s other units.”

According to Nickerson, one of Jones’ major contributions during his APA tenure was his organization of the Dulles Conference in the early ’80s, one of the first meetings that ethnic minorities held to sensitize the field of psychology to ethnic and minority issues. He also, Nickerson emphasized, has been very influential in the areas of research and science.

“While accomplishing all the administrative tasks at APA, James also has built a robust body of research and scientific work around racial issues and social psychology,” Nickerson said.

Under Jones’ directorship, APA’s Minority Fellowship Program has provided support for more than 1,000 ethnic and racial minority students pursuing doctoral degrees in various aspects of psychology and doing research in ethno-gerontology, substance-abuse treatment and the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Before joining the APA, Jones taught at Harvard University for six years, winning a Guggenheim fellowship to study in the West Indies in 1973.

He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from Yale University in 1970 and has published several books and articles on the psychological implications of prejudice and racism, including Prejudice and Racism, (first edition, 1972; second edition, 1997); A Compelling Interest: Weighing the Evidence on Racial Dynamics in Higher Education (2004); and Reflecting on the Nature of Prejudice (2004).

His articles have appeared in the Journal of Black Psychology, the Journal of Social Issues, Applied and Preventive Psychology and the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality.

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo courtesy of the American Psychological Association

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