MSOP Celebrates 40 Years, Honors Sandra Morgan

Barney Dean James Fairfield-Sonn (left) and A&S Dean Joe Voelker watch as MSOP Program Director Olga Clark (front left) and retiring Professor Sandra Morgan hold the first check for the latter's new endowed scholarship.

A 40th anniversary celebration of the Master of Science in Organizational Psychology (MSOP) program was held this past Saturday afternoon as part of Hawktober Weekend.

"The event was about more than just celebrating the program, but also paying tribute to our amazing faculty members,” said Olga Clark, program director and assistant professor of psychology. Among them is the retiring Sandra Morgan, who ran the program for 13 years and mentored many students.

Alumni, current students, and faculty gathered in East Hall in a reunion-type setting, many seeing Morgan for the first time in many years. They watched with pride at the announcement of the new Sandra Morgan endowed scholarship to assist outstanding graduate students who exemplify the values of the program. Once the fund reaches $40,000, an annual scholarship will be awarded.

Founded in 1970, the MSOP program started in the Barney School of Business (as Master of Science in Organizational Behavior), and in 2000, moved to the College of Arts and Sciences. Its name was changed to reflect an emphasis on psychological science in the workplace. The multidisciplinary program aims to change the world by promoting a better understanding of human behavior and by improving the workplace. There are currently approximately 550 alumni around the world.

Clark emphasized that MSOP graduates are not exclusively tied to human resources, but are succeeding as faculty members, organizational consultants, managers, and leaders in a variety of organizations from health care to insurance to entrepreneurial. “It’s really amazing just how diverse the group is,” she said.