2021 Social Sciences Annual Report
The 2020-21 Social Sciences division PDF report can be downloaded by using the link below. In addition to the PDF report, expanded and supplemental content has been added below which includes additional highlights and activities that occurred in the social sciences division.
Download PDF Report
Expanded and Supplemental Report News
The Hanway Lecture in Global Studies
As noted in last year’s LCAS Annual Report, the Hanway Lecture scheduled for March 31, 2020 was postponed and held virtually on October 7, 2020. The lecture was given by award‑winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, Ph.D. The Hanway Lecture in Global Studies was established by Ed Hanway, 1974 graduate and former chair of Loyola’s Board of Trustees, and his wife, Ellen, to foster global awareness. Past speakers have included Paul Hawken and Tony Blair. The virtual lecture was attended by over 200 registrants and—although we would have preferred to host the event in person—we realized a silver lining as attendees joined us from quite literally all over the world, including Loyola alumni in Northern Ireland and Australia. For more information about the Hanway Lecture in Global Studies, visit loyola.edu/hanwaylecture.
Professional Program Updates
Pre-Law Program
In August 2020, Matt Beverlin, Ph.D., J.D. joined the Political Science faculty and became the new pre-law society director. In addition to teaching courses related to law, he oversees the pre-law society student club. Further, a pre-law advisory board was launched during Spring 2021 consisting of university faculty and administrators and practicing attorneys who are either alumni or friends of Loyola. This advisory board assisted in formulating a list of undergraduate courses useful for those interesting in a career in law. Also, a path to law advising document was created to assist students in mapping out their Loyola education in preparation for this career goal. For more information, see the Pre Law Program website.
LTC Ammilee Oliva led the Greyhound Battalion for her third and final year at Loyola until her retirement from the U.S. Army in June 2021. She in collaboration with her fellow Military Science faculty and staff made adjustments to the physical trainings and class delivery modes to ensure health and safety of all faculty and students. Guest lectures for the Military Sciences classes continued. For instance, Carolyn Barry, Ph.D., taught a class on self-care to the upper-class students. Additionally, the commissioning ceremony was relocated from the Loyola Chapel to the Fort Meade Parade Field, where Brigadier General Michael J. Talley provided remarks to the 22 graduates (18 of whom were commissioned to the U.S. Army or Reserves and 4 were commissioned to the National Guard). This summer we welcomed LTC Timothy Mitroka who was already on the Military Science faculty as LTC Oliva’s successor as department chair.
Enrollment Growth
Sociology
Continued increase in number of sociology majors to 50 before SP2021 graduation – minors have grown to 47. Four years of consistent growth!
Psychology
All three psychology programs continue to see expanded applicant interest and enrollment growth. The undergraduate major has seen an 86% increase in the number of majors per class year between 2010 and 2023. The number of doctoral and masters applications increased by 62% and 49%, respectively, and the doctoral program met its new enrollment target of 18 students for Fall 2021. Additionally, the doctoral program committee moved to make the GRE optional for admission, citing access and equity-related issues brought about by the COVID pandemic, which likely contributed to the incoming Fall 2021 cohort of doctoral students that is the most diverse to date, with 50% identifying as students of color and 39% identifying as male.
The following chart depicts the number of declared majors and interdisciplinary majors in each class year, from 2010 to 2023 for psychology.
Honor Society Inductions
For Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, 34 students were inducted into the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association honor society this past spring. In the psychology department, 34 undergraduate and 7 graduate students were inducted into the Psi Chi during Spring 2021.
Some honor society inductions featured guest speakers. For instance, Danielle Melfi '13, Wisconsin State Director of the Biden Campaign, served as the guest speaker, where 23 students were inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science). Also, 19 members of the Class of 2021 were inducted into Sigma Iota Rho (Global Studies) this spring. Steering Committee members Nune Hovhannisyan, Ph.D. and Toja Okoh, Ph.D. attended, as well as Mary Kate Schneider, Ph.D., Associate Dean Carolyn Barry, and Nadine Fenchak. Loyola professor emeritus and scholar-activist Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Schmidt, Ph.D. generously served as the keynote speaker for this event, sharing her experiences in the field throughout her career.
Student Farewells
In addition to honor society inductions, some departments hosted graduation events for their students. For instance, Speech-Language-Hearing-Sciences had goodie bag for all undergraduate students and had a senior farewell.
Student Award and Medal Recipients for Class of 2021
Global Studies
Psychology
- Magis Awards in Psychology were awarded to Bria Thomas for research and Brennan Schisler for service accomplishments.
- Grindall Psychology Medal: Shay Ryan
- Masters Medal for Excellence in Psychology: Elana Greene
- Doctoral Medal for Excellence in Psychology: Bella Schiro
Political Science
Sociology
Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
- undergraduate medal: Alexa Stewart
- graduate medal: Saltysiak Medal for Clinical Excellence): Sheylah Gaona
- Dr. Bernard A. Saltysiak Memorial Endowment Fund scholarship: Kaitlynn O’Brien
Other Student Achievements
Samuel Branyan, ’23, represented Loyola at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s 2020 Academy Assembly in Fall 2020. Typically held in Colorado Springs, this was a virtual event due to COVID-19.
Thomas Mortimer was accepted into a 2021 summer course for 8 students on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. This is an all-expense paid program in Los Angeles run by the Instauratio Magna Foundation. https://instauratiomagnafoundation.org/courses