Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs Bestows Lifetime Achievement Award on University of Albany Provost Phillips - UAlbany News 2009

University at Albany Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Susan D. Phillips has been awarded the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs (CCPTP) 2009 Award for Lifetime Contributions to Education and Training in Counseling Psychology. The award recognizes faculty who have distinguished themselves through significant, long-term service and contributions to education and training in counseling psychology. The award was presented at the 117th annual convention of the American Psychological Association in Toronto, where Phillips was acknowledged for her instrumental role in shaping and advancing education and training in counseling psychology over the past 30 years.

"We are delighted Provost Phillips has been recognized for her prestigious record of contributions in Counseling Psychology," said UAlbany President George M. Philip. "On behalf of the University I congratulate Dr. Phillips, and thank her for her tireless dedication to UAlbany and her profession."

Phillips chaired the American Psychological Association's Committee on Accreditation -- one of the nation's largest professional accrediting agencies. She also served as CCPTP's chair, during which time she pushed successfully for CCPTP to have a voice in the national professional psychology debate. She was the 1991 recipient of the American Psychological Association Division of Counseling Psychology John Holland Award for Outstanding Achievement in Personality and Career Research, and has published extensively in career development and vocational psychology. Phillips is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a licensed psychologist, and was named the 1998 Distinguished Psychologist by the Psychological Association of Northeastern New York.

Phillips currently serves as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at UAlbany. Previously, she served the University at Albany as the dean of the School of Education, the chair of the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, and the director of doctoral training for Counseling Psychology. She currently holds an appointment as professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology. Phillips has also earned the University at Albany Award for Excellence in Teaching and the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching (1995).

An internationally recognized scholar in vocational psychology, Phillips' research has focused on decision making and career development. Her recent research has examined factors that facilitate the school-to-work transition, and the role of relationships in career decision-making. She has also been instrumental in creating cross-disciplinary initiatives, including research defining state-wide models of the practices in higher-performing schools undertaken in a unique public-private partnership. She also helped in developing research capacity for university-community partnerships through the NIH-sponsored Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities.