Reid to lead Women’s Studies Program

Reid

Pamela Trotman Reid, professor of education and of psychology, and a research scientist in the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG), has been named director of the Women’s Studies Program, effective July 1. The three-year appointment was announced recently by Shirley Neuman, dean of LS&A.

In her announcement, Neuman cited Reid’s considerable administrative experience and noted her commitment to “maintaining and building on the strong existing connections between Women’s Studies and other LS&A departments...and to increasing the number and range of connections with the professional schools.”

“We have many fantastic opportunities to reach out and strengthen our ties with faculty throughout the University,” Reid says. She is particularly interested in the program’s gender and health initiative, and the prospect of expanding its international connections. This summer, she is traveling to China, with current Director Sidonie Smith and Dena Goodman, professor of history and of women’s studies. The three will present a workshop for Chinese scholars who are interested in teaching and research in the area of women’s studies.

Reid has published extensively on issues dealing with gender, class and ethnicity, often with a focus on the experiences of African American girls and women. A developmental psychologist, she serves as principal investigator for the U-M-Girl project, a summer program funded primarily by an Eisenhower grant. The program brings girls and teachers from area middle schools to campus in an attempt to increase gender equity and interest in mathematics. She also directs the IRWG program on the intersection of ethnicity, class and gender.

Prior to coming to the U-M, Reid was interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the City University of New York Graduate Center, where she also was associate provost and dean for academic affairs, and professor of psychology.

A fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), Reid has been elected to many national boards and committees and is a past president of the organization’s Society for the Psychology of Women division. APA named her a Distinguished Leader for Women in Psychology, and the APA division on ethnic minority issues recently recognized her contributions in research. She also is active in the Detroit community, serving on the boards of the Metropolitan Girl Scout Council and the Michigan Opera Theatre, and on the advisory board for the Merrill Palmer Institute, a center for research on child development.