Wendy Bellion and James M. Jones, faculty members in the University of Delaware College of Arts and Sciences, have been appointed to named positions in recognition of their achievements as scholars and educators.
Bellion has been named the Sewell C. Biggs Chair in American Art History, and Jones was appointed Trustees Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Black American Studies.
The appointments, which took effect Jan. 1, were announced by UD President Dennis Assanis and Provost Domenico Grasso, who thanked both faculty members for their “outstanding contributions and service to the University of Delaware.”
James M. Jones
Jones is a social psychologist whose research, scholarship and service have focused on issues of racism and diversity, earning him national recognition for more than 40 years of professional accomplishments.
He is a professor in the departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences and of Black American Studies and since 2012 has also served as director of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Center for the Study of Diversity.
From 1977-2005, he was director of the Minority Fellowship Program of the American Psychological Association (APA), where he also was affirmative action officer from 1986-2005.
Jones earned his doctoral degree from Yale University and was a faculty member in psychology departments at Harvard and Howard universities before joining the University of Delaware as a visiting distinguished professor in 1981. In his career at UD, he also has served as director and then chair of Black American Studies.
In 2011, the APA selected Jones to receive the Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology, its highest honor. The organization cited his "unparalleled career as a scientist, academic, author, administrator, thinker, innovator and social justice advocate."
He has received numerous other awards, including the 2009 Distinguished Service Award and the 2001 Kurt Lewin Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the 2007 Distinguished Psychologist Award from the Association of Black Psychologists and the 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues.
He is past president of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
Jones, who is the author of numerous articles, book chapters and technical reports, published the first edition of his book Prejudice and Racism in 1972 and the second edition in 1997. His most recent book, with Jack Dovidio and Deborah Vietze, The Psychology of Diversity: Beyond Prejudice and Racism, was published in 2014.
He has served as a consulting editor for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, an advisory editor for Contemporary Psychology and on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Intercultural Relations; Journal of Black Psychology; Ethics and Behavior; Public Policy, Psychology and Law; and North American Journal of Psychology.
In his research, Jones has developed the idea of diversity competency—the perspective, attitude and motivation to interact in and benefit from diverse contexts and relationships. He is exploring ways in which diversity competency is expressed in problem solving, interpersonal relationships, decision-making and academic success.
Trustees Distinguished Professorships were created by the University’s Board of Trustees to recognize deserving senior members of the faculty.
Article by Ann Manser Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson January 03, 2017
