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Jacquelynne Eccles awarded U-M Distinguished University Professorship
Distinguished University Professorship,Jacquelynne Eccles. One of the world’s pre-eminent developmental psychologists, Jacquelynne Eccles’ work in the area of personality and social developmenthas had a major impact on our understanding of how different contexts shape adolescentdevelopment. She is the William McKeachie and Paul Pintrich Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Education; professor of psychology, Department of Psychology, LSA; professor of education,SoE; and research professor, Research Center for Group Dynamics, ISR. In particular, her large-scale longitudinal studieshave provided importantinsights into gender differencesin motivation andachievement, showing thatthese differences result fromsocialization processes inschools and families ratherthan from inherent biologicaldifferences. Her research andscholarship have had importantpolicy implications forschool reform, particularlyin the redesign of middleschools to make them motivatingand less stressful foradolescents.Eccles’ scholarly reach iswell illustrated by her leadership of the MacArthurNetwork on Successful Pathwaysthrough Middle Childhood,a major nine-yeareffort in which she fosteredresearch alliances amongindividuals who would nototherwise have becomeaware of common interests.Throughout her career,Eccles has published morethan 200 articles, chaptersand books, and has garneredabout $20 million in grantawards. She has providedscientific leadership on manyboards and panels. In addition,she has provided editorialleadership for the topjournals in her field. In recognitionof her achievementsand acknowledgment of howfundamentally her scholarshiphas shaped the thinkingof developmental scientists,she has won numerousawards and been honored bythe leading national societiesin psychology and child development.In 2006 she received theOutstanding Mentor Awardfrom the DevelopmentalPsychology Division of theAmerican Psychological Associationfor contributions“to developmental psychologythrough the educationand training of the next generationof research leaders indevelopmental psychology.”She has been a major leader,and now administrator, inthe Combined Program inEducation and Psychology.She currently serves on theDepartment of Psychology’sexecutive committee, andshe also is active in variousservice roles at ISR, theInstitute for Research onWomen and Gender, and theSoE.