In the fall, Baker University will welcome Sara Crump into a psychology department position that has been open for quite some time.
“The position has been open since Rob Flaherty (associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences) moved to administration a few years ago,” Psychology Department Chair Tony Brown said. “We’re excited to be back to full strength with four people in the department.”
Crump will be coming to Baker fresh out of graduate school at the University of Santa Barbara, a program that Assistant Professor of Psychology Wendi Born said is one of the top 20 social psychology programs in the country. Although Crump does not have as much teaching experience as other candidates that were interviewed, Born said she’s not concerned.
“She won’t have to compensate,” Born said. “She’s just out of her Ph.D. program; no one will have a great deal of experience coming out of that. Her merits as a scholar and researcher were greater than many of our candidates. Her experience in statistics and methodology will help her step into our labs and rigorous methodology programs more easily.”
The search process included dinner with a committee comprising faculty within and outside of the psychology department, teaching a class related to social psychology and facing the questions of a student panel.
Senior Amanda Haas, a psychology major who was invited to assist in the search, agreed that Crump’s lack of teaching experience will not a problem.
“I think the biggest thing that set her apart was how she related to students,” Haas said. “She’s a charismatic, warm person. Her interactions with the student panel were natural and laidback, and she was very understanding. She’s going to be able to connect with Baker University.”
Brown said Crump’s classroom presentation stood out to him.
“She has a very poised personal style, and she’s very energetic,” he said. “Her classroom presentation was interactive and lively. She made a great impression on the panel. She has all the qualities we look for in candidates.”
Born also complimented Crump’s personality and said she is confident the new professor will be able to survive a demanding start to her career at Baker.
“Certainly, the experience of teaching so many classes so quickly is a kind of baptism by fire,” Born said. “But she’s a very warm person who will be able to connect with students. We really want her as a colleague.”
