Jonathan Hammersley, faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Western Illinois University, has been named a Fellow of the Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA). This distinction is the highest honor the association awards to its members and recognizes significant contributions to the discipline of psychology through research, teaching, mentorship and service to the organization.
Fellow status is reserved for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional scholarly productivity, leadership and visibility within the field of psychology.
Hammersley is only the second WIU Psychology faculty member to receive this recognition, joining the ranks of colleagues such as Bem Allen, emeritus faculty member. Hammersley’s selection reflects his extensive contributions to psychological research and education and his engagement with MPA. Since 2022 he has been a member of the annual conference program committee and takes over as the conference program chair in April 2025 after being elected to that position. Previous to that, he regularly planned programming for the conference through his work with Psi Chi, Psychology’s international honor society.
“Much of my professional service, teaching and research has been student-oriented, aimed at improving experiences and providing opportunities for students, at our regional state university that is dedicated to educating underprivileged and first-generation college students. I’ve enjoyed my involvement and volunteer service with MPA, particularly on the programming side, because providing programming and opportunities for students and early career researchers aligns closely with those student-centered goals of my teaching and research lab,” Hammersley said.
Newly selected Fellows will be honored at the MPA annual meeting awards ceremony at 3 p.m., Friday, April 11, in the Red Lacquer Ballroom of the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, IL. Fellows in attendance will be recognized and presented with official certificates.
“MPA is one of the largest regional professional organizations in psychology, surpassing many national organizations in membership and scope,” Jim Schmidt, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences said. “Becoming an MPA fellow is a significant honor and I thank him for his service to the field of Psychology in our region.”
For more information about the Midwestern Psychological Association and its Fellow selection process, visit midwesternpsych.org/. For more information on WIU’s Psychology Department, visit wiu.edu/Psychology.
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