1902

H. Elmer Bierly (A.B. Princeton; some graduate work at Princeton & Harvard) establishes Florida's first psychological laboratory in College Hall at Florida State College with equipment obtained from Clark University. College Hall was located approximately on the current site of the Westcott Building, just inside the main gates of Florida State University. (See biographical information about H.E. Bierly.)

"There has been established a psychological laboratory, the first one in Florida, which, with its apparatus and accessories, affords almost every opportunity for studying the different senses, memory, illusions, time relations, and the nervous system." [From the 1902-03 College Catalogue]

1909

Edward Conradi (Ph.D. Clark University) becomes President of Florida State College for Women and teaches psychology courses in Philosophy Department.

1915

Edwin Andrew Hayden (Ph.D. University of Michigan) becomes first Head of FSCW Department of Psychology and continues to develop the Psychology Laboratory.

1922

Paul F. Finner (Ph.D. University of Wisconsin) becomes 2nd Head of FSCW Department of Psychology.

1926

A major public controversy arises concerning the propriety of FSCW's Psychology faculty teaching Freud and Darwin.

1935

Department of Psychology faculty move to offices and state-of-the-art research laboratories on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Education Building which had been reconstructed with the aid of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration This building was later renamed the Psychology Building and now the Eppes Building. (See 1935 renovation floor plans)

1947

Florida State College for Women becomes Florida State University.

1948

Hugh L. Waskom (Ph.D. Indiana University) becomes 3rd Head of Department of Psychology.

1950

Winthrop N. Kellogg (Ph.D. Columbia University) moves to FSU from Indiana University and begins research on the use of sonar by porpoises and blind humans.

1952

Doctoral Degree Program in Psychology established by State Board of Education.

1953

1st Ph.D. in Psychology, awarded to Robert Hattwick (Experimental Psychology; Howard Baker, Major Professor). This was the 2nd Ph.D. degree awarded by Florida State University.

1958

1st Ph.D. in Psychology to a woman, Fay Tyler Norton (Experimental Psychology; Winthrop Kellogg, Major Professor).

1964

1st Ph.D. in Psychology to a minority student, Manuel Vega (School Psychology; Wallace Kennedy, Major Professor).

1972

1st Ph.D. in Psychology to an African American student, Aubrey Perry (Clinical Psychology; Jack Hokanson, Major Professor).

2008

913 Ph.D.s in Psychology awarded in 53 years (Also see Hollar (2003), Descriptive Analysis of Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Psychology Ph.D. Recipients at Florida State University 1953-2003).

1954

American Psychological Association accredits graduate training in Clinical Psychology

1962

Newspaper report of funding received to build a new Psychology Research Building, and description of removal of historic frame structure on the site.

1964

The Psychobiology Program, headed by Dan Kenshalo and Lloyd Beidler (Biology), receive substantial programmatic funding as part of the National Science Foundation's Development of Excellence award to FSU. Funding included approximately 12 new faculty lines to be split between Psychology and Biology, about 15 technical and staff positions to operate the research facilities, a large equipment budget, and an annual expense budget. The State of Florida agreed to maintain the lines and expense budget permanently when the grant period ended.

1965

Psychology Research Building opens with 5 floors and over 32,500 sq. ft. of lab space. Funding was provided by NSF and NIH grants obtained by Dan Kenshalo, and by matching funds from the State.

1966

Joseph H. Grosslight (Ph.D. Yale University) becomes 4th Chair of Department, American Psychologist obituary, Comment from minority graduate students

1975

Daniel R. Kenshalo (Ph.D. Washington University) receives the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professorship Award

1981

Kellogg Research Building (formerly Psychology Research Building) dedicated in honor of Winthrop Kellogg. The dedication ceremony included a public lecture by Jane Goodall to acknowledge Kellogg's famous project in the 1930s when he raised his son with a chimpanzee for 9 months to study the nature/nurture question.

1986

Michael E. Rashotte (Ph.D. University of Toronto) becomes 5th Chair of Department

1988

Barron Scarborough begins assembling a Department history

1989

George E. Weaver (Ph.D. University of Iowa) becomes 6th Chair of Department

1989

Alumnae of FSCW endow Edward Conradi Eminent Scholar Chair in the Department of Psychology. This was the first endowed chair in the College of Arts & Sciences.

1991

Doctoral Degree Program in Neuroscience (for Psychology and Biological Science students) established by Board of Regents

1992

James C. Smith (Ph.D. Florida State University) receives the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professorship Award

K. Anders Ericsson (Ph.D. University of Stockholm, Sweden) moves to FSU from the University of Colorado (Boulder) as the Conradi Eminent Scholar.

1995

Robert C. Contreras (Ph.D. Michigan State University) becomes 7th Chair of Department.

2001

Initial planning funds from State for new Psychology Center Building. The new facility will consolidate Department of Psychology faculty, staff and students into one building and will be located on the grounds of the old Florida High School (DRS) on the west side of campus.

2002

Janet A. Kistner (Ph.D. SUNY-Binghamton) becomes 8th Chair of Department

2002

Roy Baumeister (Ph.D. Princeton) moves to FSU from Case Western Reserve University as the Francis Eppes Eminent Scholar in Psychology

2004

March 24th, ground breaking ceremony for new Psychology Building

2008

Department of Psychology occupies new Psychology Building and The Stan and Paula Warmath Courtyard is dedicated (October 10, 2008)

2009

Richard K. Wagner (Ph.D. Yale University) receives the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professorship Award

If you would like to contribute your recollections or old photographs to our archive, please contact Mark Stephens: