Spelman College President Earns Highest Honor From the American Psychological Association

beverly-tatum-thumbBeverly Daniel Tatum, president of Spelman College in Atlanta, received the Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology at the 122nd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. The award is the highest honor given by the association.

The citation for the award said that “you have engaged the very difficult subject of race relations in the United States, and the impact of such an environment on identity development for African Americans.”

President Tatum, who recently announced she will step down at the end of the 2014-15 academic year, has led Spelman College since 2002. Before coming to Spelman College, Dr. Tatum was a professor of psychology and dean of the college at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Earlier in her career, she taught at Westfield State College in Massachusetts and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

President Tatum is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut. She earned a master’s degree at the Hartford Seminary. President Tatum earned a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Tatum is the author of the best-selling book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Dear Beverly:

    It seems like yesterday that we ran into each other at Harvard and I wished you my best as you began your new appointment as President of Spelman College.

    Congratulations on your recent award that was bestowed upon you by the APA. I am sure there will be more acknowledgements of your work and just as importantly, your future work and endeavors in the years to come.

    Full steam ahead…

    My best.

    Kwame

    p.s. Do give Travis my best

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