Some professors, when they retire, leave us with a decades-long legacy of academic excellence, personal compassion, and progress in their field. And sometimes you have an entire brigade of the most talented educators, all in the same department: such as former psychology professors Kim Gingerich Brenneman ‘85, Galen Lehman ‘73, and Judy Mullet ‘73.
Combined, the three profs have 101 years of service teaching at EMU. Now, a new endowment in their honor will provide financial assistance for the next generation of psychology students.
The scholarship is the first of its kind for psychology majors at EMU. Dennis Showalter ‘73, who graduated alongside Lehman and Mullet, saw an opportunity to create it.
“I decided that a Psychology scholarship was definitely needed,” Showalter says. “Our 
EMC 45th reunion was coming up, so I reached out to the 10 psychology majors from the class of 1973, to see if they would partner with me in securing the scholarship.” Full-time psychology students in their first year at EMU will qualify as recipients, and students of African, Hispanic, Asian and Native American descent will be given priority.
Lehman, having joined the faculty in 1973, brought some of the earliest improvements to the program, including Apple II computers, and renovating the formerly dirt-floor Suter Science Center basement into instructional and collaboration space.
Mullet, in addition to teaching psychology, also directed the Honors program, taught teacher education, and co-founded and co-led Student Kairos Place, a week-long gathering of EMU undergraduate writers. Mullet’s reputation is also one of deep kindness.
Brenneman, respected for her academic rigor, also led many cross-cultural trips to India over the years. And she was skilled at putting her colleagues and students at ease.
These three professors truly shepherded the department to become one of EMU’s most popular degree programs, which trains well-rounded, compassionate graduates who are ready for a vast range of psychology-related careers.
Lehman and Mullet joined Showalter and Gretchen Maust ‘73, the Visual and Communication Arts administrative assistant at EMU, to help establish the endowment.
“Endowments such as these affirm, energize and invite students to more deeply commit to a community of explorers and travelers in one of the newest disciplines in higher education,” says Mullet. “As a faculty member in the department I sought to live what we explored together both in and out of classrooms. The richness of one-to-one conversations were ‘holy moments’ that I cherish to this day. I'm honored to support ongoing ‘holy moments’ at EMU through this scholarship.”
We are seeking $10,000 in financial support through EMU’s new crowdfunding platform to fund the remainder of the endowment and make this incredibly valuable resource available to our students who need it most.
Please consider making a gift today: help us honor these EMU legends, and support the next generation of psychologists to attain the education they need to carry on this legacy.
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