The award, which honors individuals whose enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to SPSSI are remarkable, was announced during the American Psychological Association's conference last year in San Francisco.
The SPSSI award citation noted that Gaertner “has a long and distinguished history of service to the organization.”
Gaertner was honored for having served SPSSI, which is a division of the American Psychological Association, by “employing his intellectual gifts to address important social issues while remaining an active and dedicated member helping the organization to meet its day-to-day challenges.”
The citation also recognized his seminal work on intergroup prejudice and conflict, for which he and long-time collaborator and UD alumnus Jack Dovidio received the SPSSI Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize in 1985 and 1998. Both Gaertner and Dovidio were co-recipients of the Kurt Lewin Memorial Award in 2004 for careers of “outstanding contributions to the development of psychological research and social action.”
“The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues has been an organization close to my heart dating back almost 40 years,” Gaertner said. “When I was in graduate school, it provided a small research grant to help me start a new line of inquiry that changed the path of my career. I am honored 40 years later to receive the SPSSI Distinguished Service Award.”
Service contributions by Gaertner include two terms as a member of the SPSSI Council between 1996 and 2004. He also chaired the Gordon Allport Award Committee (2003-04), the Elonen Fund Committee in 1997 and 1998, and the Applied Social Issues Internship Award Committee in 2000 and 2001.
Thomas DiLorenzo, professor and chairperson of the UD Department of Psychology, noted that in addition to nearly four decades of service to SPSSI, Gaertner has long been involved in countless service roles within the Department of Psychology, the University of Delaware and the profession.
“His list of accomplishments in service, as well as his phenomenal research career, coupled with his tireless teaching efforts, makes Prof. Gaertner one of UD's shining stars,” DiLorenzo said.
Article by Jerry Rhodes