Dr. Steve Baumgardner Retires
Dr. Steve Baumgardner retired from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in May of 2007. He served the Department of Psychology with great distinction since his appointment in 1973.
Dr. Baumgardner is originally from Seattle, Washington. He completed a B.S. at the University of Washington and a Master’s degree from Western Washington State College. Dr. Baumgardner went on to earn a Ph.D. in Social/Personality Psychology from Kansas State University. During his time at UW-Eau Claire, he taught General Psychology (100), Social Psychology (245), Positive Psychology (346), History of Psychology (400), Psychology and Social Issues, and Attitude Measurement and Change. Teaching was a continued source of satisfaction for Dr. Baumgardner, especially Social Psychology, which he always applied to issues of the day in a way that was meaningful and informative.
Probably the biggest change Dr. Baumgardner experienced while at UW-Eau Claire was the increased emphasis on faculty research. When he joined the department, research was rewarded and supported, but not required for tenure or promotion. Dr. Baumgardner remarks, “A faculty position is more demanding than in the past. Added to the expectation of good teaching are higher demands and more specific evaluation of research, student advising, and service. I think the emphasis on research, particularly collaborative research, is good for faculty, students, and UW-Eau Claire. Students at UW-Eau Claire can gain research experience that is only available for graduate students at most universities.”
One of the highlights of Dr. Baumgardner’s career is his research on the career and job experiences of college graduates. This project involved student researchers conducting telephone interviews with UW-Eau Claire alumni and led to the publication of a book and several journal articles. Dr. Baumgardner found the long hours spent training students to conduct good interviews to be very rewarding because “they did such a terrific job.”
Another source of excitement and pride for Dr. Baumgardner was his involvement in the revision of the psychology major in the early 1990s. Prior to the revision, Psychology was largely a service department and majors did not have the opportunity to pursue any areas of psychology in depth. Today, students have many opportunities to get to know other majors and faculty. Certainly, the revised major plays a significant role in the success of our program.
Dr. Baumgardner ended his “official” UW-Eau Claire career by developing a course on positive psychology and completing a textbook for the course. A student in Positive Psychology said of Dr. Baumgardner, “I feel as though your teachings and course material are unique when compared to other classes in that the words have a three-dimensional quality that extend past the pages in which they were written to reach the core of who we are as human beings. Your teachings are infectious and will, no doubt, have far-reaching impact within my life and hopefully the lives that I touch.”
The Department thanks Dr. Steve Baumgardner for inspiring generations of students through outstanding teaching, advising, and collaborative research.
