Site names Catawba psychology professor a ‘must take’

Published 12:01 am Thursday, October 29, 2015

Dr. Sheila Brownlow, a professor of psychology at Catawba College, has been named one of the 10 Must Take Psychology Professors in the Charlotte area by the online site careersinpsychology.org.

Sharing why they recognize psychology professors, the site explains, “We picked out a small handful of psychology professors in Charlotte who deserve, at the very least, to receive a public pat on the back for not only their research contributions to the schools but also for their real-life contributions to their students.”

Brownlow joins her professorial colleagues from institutions including Davidson College, Queens University, UNC Charlotte, Gardner-Webb University and Wingate University.

This online site is segmented by cities, including Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, New Orleans and now Charlotte. The site boasts 500,000 visitors a month and serves as a psychology career and education media outlet for those searching for information about careers in psychology.

Brownlow’s profile on the site, which includes a quote from her about her work with college students, reads:

“At a small college like Catawba, Dr. Sheila Brownlow is something of an institution. Not only is she the Psychology Department Chair, but she is also the Director of the First-Year Seminar program at the school and has been a professor at Catawba since joining the faculty in 1990.

“She received her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and her PhD from Brandeis University and her research focuses on implicit biases, mediators in sex differences in spatial skills and implicit egotism. She is an accomplished author whose work has been published in many industry-leading journals and she is also a well-traveled presenter.

“In the classroom, students appreciate that she expects a lot from them and her no-nonsense attitude can turn some folks off in the beginning. But once they understand how knowledgeable she is and that she truly wants her students to succeed, they said they had a lot more respect and understanding for her ability.

“Someone with that many responsibilities who still takes the time to make sure her students succeed deserves to be on this list without a doubt.”

Brownlow said this:

“Majoring in psychology enables students to develop skills and values that are beneficial to them as employees, life-long learners, and informed citizens.  They have quantitative and qualitative literacy and they can use and understand numbers and information to reason critically, integrate information and discover solutions.  Their research and measurement skills are excellent, and their work in their major typically makes them detail-oriented and able to follow through with large projects that require technical abilities, writing skills and oral communications.

“Of course, psychology majors also come to understand how people communicate and how our environment influences our behavior.  So, psychology majors become skeptical consumers of information, sensitive to the needs and backgrounds of members of their communities and rigorous science-minded persons who understand people: a great combination in any professional school, graduate school, or workplace!”

For more information about all 10 of the Charlotte area psychology professors recognized by the site, visit: http://careersinpsychology.org/psychology-degrees-schools-employment-nc/#charlotte-professors.