Date: 12/17/08
Contact: Marc Lebovitz
Illinois State University President Al Bowman has appointed Susan Sprecher, Sociology and Anthropology and a joint appointment with Psychology, as Distinguished Professor at Illinois State effective Aug. 16, 2009.
The Distinguished Professor designation allows the University to honor faculty members of distinction and to demonstrate to the broader community that excellence is the foundation of the University. Among the criteria for appointment are achieving national recognition for scholarly research, creative production or leadership in creative or scholarly activities. In addition, candidates must have been clearly identified by students, colleagues, or external agencies as an outstanding teacher or must have contributed significant public service in accord with his or her academic discipline.
Distinguished Professors are invited to deliver one public lecture or presentation on a topic of their choosing, receive a $1,000 budget per annum in support of activities as a Distinguished Professor and continue to hold the title throughout their service to Illinois State.
Sprecher has been on the Illinois State faculty since 1985 and received her bachelor’s master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a highly respected, nationally and internationally known expert in the interdisciplinary field of personal relationships. Professor John Harvey of the University of Iowa states that “without question, Professor Sprecher is one of the foremost experts on personal relationship topics in the world.” Professor F. Scott Christopher of Arizona State University writes that “her research program is impressive in its depth and breadth.”
Since joining the Illinois State faculty, Sprecher’s accomplishments include publishing 71 articles in a wide variety of journals, most of which are very competitive and have high impact factors, and authoring or editing seven books and 26 book chapters. A search for citations of Sprecher’s work using “Web of Science” netted a total of 1,351 citations. Such data provide an objective measure of the attention her publications have attracted.
Other indicators of the exceptional nature of Sprecher’s productivity are that she has obtained such a level of renown for her research while continuing to be highly involved in teaching and service activities. She has consistently taught a full load, and she has taken her teaching very seriously. Sociology-Anthropology Chairman Fred Smith particularly pointed out her dedication to the Senior Capstone Experience course in which Sprecher has mentored more than 160 senior student research capstone projects. Smith reports that “student reaction to this course is amazing in that even the students who complain that she works them too hard say that it is among the best, if not THE best course they took at ISU.”
Sprecher’s record of service on campus is highly noteworthy and Smith said that “in her profession, Professor Sprecher’s service contributions have been nothing short of spectacular.” She has served as editor of one of the top two journals in her field, as an associate editor for two important journals, and is or has been on the editorial boards of seven other highly visible journals. She routinely reviews approximately 30 manuscripts and three to four promotion and tenure evaluations for other universities each year.
