Jerry Rudmann

(1944-2024)

Dr. Jerry Rudmann passed away on May 16th, 2024. An obituary is published in the Orange County Register. A community college transfer student himself, Jerry devoted his professional career to mentoring and providing professional development opportunities for community college students and faculty. His scholarly work and his mentorship truly elevated the status of community colleges.  

Jerry attended Mt. San Antonio Community College (MSAC) where he earned an associate degree in general arts. He transferred to California State University at Fullerton (CSUF) to major in psychology. During his first semester at CSUF, he met his future wife, Bari, in an introductory statistics class. After completing his bachelor degree, and later earning a master degree in psychology at California State University at Los Angeles, Jerry worked for 7 years as a human factors engineer at Rockwell International. Jerry earned his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, then taught psychology for 30 years at Irvine Valley Community College in Southern California. As a Psi Beta chapter advisor, Jerry had many enriching and satisfying experiences with students and colleagues in the field, which eventually led him to serve as the second ever Executive Director of Psi Beta National Honor Society beginning in 2005, and ultimately becoming the face of Psi Beta. Jerry has taught, mentored, and inspired thousands of students, many of whom have gone on to complete graduate degrees in psychology.

Jerry was recognized with many awards at his college, from the state of California, and at the national level. Some highlights include receiving the Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award, from the Society for Teaching of Psychology (APA Division 2) for his mastery of teaching, Distinguished Service Award from the Western Psychological Association (WPA), and being inducted as a WPA Fellow for outstanding and unusual contributions to the science and profession of psychology. Jerry presented novel research annually at both regional and national conferences, alongside colleagues, undergraduates and former students.

Jerry served as Board President for the Association of College Honor Societies (2015 – 2017). He was actively engaged in national educational and research initiatives, such as serving on APA’s Guidelines 3.0 task force (2021-2023) and participating as a proposal reviewer for the National Science Foundation’s Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement (ILI) grant program (1994 - 1995).

He wrote many articles on the scholarship of teaching and learning. For example, read this article on the benefits of undergraduates doing research. To hear from Jerry directly, please listen to Episode 199 of the Psych Sessions podcast , originally recorded in 2022 and was rereleased in 2024 to honor Jerry. He conducted research on, and contributed to The Skillful Psychology Student documenting skills learned in psychology courses that employers desire.

To recognize his lifelong contributions, the American Psychological Association presented Dr. Rudmann with a Presidential Citation in August 2023 which can be read on the APA website. Beyond his academic pursuits, Jerry's insatiable curiosity and boundless kindness endeared him to all who had the privilege of knowing him. He enriched the lives of colleagues and students alike, fostering a culture of growth and collaboration wherever he went.

In honoring the memory of Dr. Jerry Rudmann, we pay tribute to a life lived with purpose, passion, and unconditional support of others. Dr. Jerry Rudmann’s legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.

Sample of some of Dr. Rudmann’s publications on the scholarship of teaching and learning:

Appleby, D., Young, J., Van Kirk, J., Rudmann, J., Naufel, K.Z., Spencer, S.M., Hettich, P., Richmond, A.S. (2019). The skillful psychology student: Skills you will need to succeed in the 21st-century workplace. Psychology Student Network, 7(1). Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2019/02/skillful-student

Chew, S. L., Boysen, G. A., Naufel, K. Z., Wickes, K., & Rudmann, J. (2022). The successful psychology course: Transformative skills in introductory psychology. In R. A. R. Gurung & G. Neufeld (Eds.), Transforming introductory psychology: Expert advice on teacher training, course design, and student success (pp. 139–170). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000260-007

Halonen, J. S., Dunn, D. S., Kreiner, D. S., Lewis, L., Mena, J. A., Naufel, K. Z., Nolan, S. A., Richmond, A. S., Ronquillo-Adachi, J., Rudmann, J., Stoloff, M., & Thompson, J. L. (2023). APA guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major Version 3.0: Empowering people to make a difference in their lives and communities. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/undergraduate-psychology-major.pdf

Naufel, K.Z., Spencer, S.M., Appleby, D., Richmond, A.S., Rudmann, J., Van Kirk, J., Young, J., Carducci, B., Hettich., P. (2019). The skillful psychology student: How to empower students with workforce-ready skills by teaching psychology. Psychology Teacher Network, 29(1). Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/ ptn/2019/03/workforce-ready-skills

Ronquillo‐Adachi, J., Lewis, L., Rudmann, J., Boenau, M., & Hailstorks, R. J. (2021). Community college faculty engagement in psychology's professional societies. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2021(194).

Rudmann, J. (1992). An Evaluation of Several Early Alert Strategies for Helping First Semester Freshmen at the Community College and A Description of the Newly Developed Early Alert Retention System (EARS) Software.

Rudmann, J., Tucker, K. L., & Gonzalez, S. (2008). Using cognitive, motivational, and emotional constructs for assessing learning outcomes in student services: An exploratory study. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 15(2), 27-40.

Rudmann, J., Tucker, K., Cassens, M., Mis, B., & Taylor, Y. (2022). Teaching introductory psychology to students with varying degrees of readiness: Irvine Valley College.

 Vespia, K. M., Naufel, K. Z., Rudmann, J., Van Kirk, J. F., Briihl, D., & Young, J. (2020). Yes, you can get a job with that major! Goal 5 strategies for facilitating, assessing, and demonstrating psychology students’ professional development. Teaching of Psychology, 47(4), 305-315.

(Many thanks to Dr. Kimberley Duff for providing this remembrance.)