Jacksonville – MacMurray College announced the appointment of a new member to its faculty for the coming 2006 fall semester.
Dr. Cynthia S. Mester has accepted a position with the College’s psychology department as an associate professor of psychology and chair of the department.
Dr. Mester is a specialist in education (health sciences) for the Illinois Office of Educational Services where she assists the Curriculum Revitalization Initiative (CRI). Her responsibilities there include investigating and compiling research describing content and format for Career and Technical Education Health Occupations programs throughout Illinois and the nation. She also organizes and facilitates two state-wide committees, one for Career and Technical Education Health Sciences and Technology Teachers and the other for Health Sciences and Technology Business and Industry Representatives.
She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree in philosophy from Millikin University in 1990, an M.A. degree in developmental psychology from Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois at Springfield), and her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1999.
Dr. Mester has been an adjunct professor of psychology at Lincoln Land Community College and an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
The recipient of several research grants, she has also presented many lectures, workshops, and has had her work published through the S.I.U. School of Medicine including several books and newsletters.
Dr. Mester is a member of numerous professional societies and currently resides in Athens, Ill.
Located in Jacksonville, Ill., MacMurray College is a private, four-year, liberal arts, coeducational college, founded in 1846, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Its friendly, informal environment stresses academic excellence, personal attention, career experience, and well-rounded development of each individual.