Fellowship to Honor Thayer

The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Foundation has announced an annual fellowship, which honors former long-time APS Treasurer Paul Thayer. Beginning in 2007, the Leslie W. Joyce and Paul W. Thayer Graduate Fellowship in Industrial and Organizational Psychology will assist a doctoral I/O student each academic year. The fellowship awards $10,000 to students whose studies specialize in selection and placement and/or training and development.

I/O Fellowship: Thayer is honored by former student Leslie Joyce. (Wayne Lee)

Joyce, vice president and learning officer for Home Depot, makes the contribution in appreciation of her longstanding mentoring relationship with Thayer. Thayer recently retired from his professorship in I/O psychology at North Carolina State University.

“Leslie and I had an excellent student-professor relationship while she was in graduate school,” says Thayer. “She was an excellent student, determined and creative, and was a pleasure to work with.” On one occasion they even collaborated to develop assessment exercises for senior officers of the Illinois State Police.

Since her graduate study with Thayer, Joyce has taken on Home Depot’s employee training and development programs, and she continues to seek advice from her professor.

In addition to Thayer’s many academic accomplishments, he served as the founding chair of the APS Finance Committee and a longtime APS Treasurer. APS Executive Director Alan Kraut recalls, “Paul was the financial brains behind APS. We simply could not have become the financially solid organization we are today without him. It is so appropriate to see Paul recognized with this kind of a substantial financial gift being made in his name. No one is more deserving.”

The application deadline for the inaugural fellowship is in February 2007; it will affect the 2007 – 2008 academic year. Application procedures will be made available in the October 2006 issue of TIP, the SIOP newsletter.