With the retirement of Milton Hakel after the 2008-09 school year, the prestigious position of Ohio Eminent Scholar in industrial and organizational psychology opened up. Scott Highhouse was selected as Hakel’s replacement and is just the second person to hold this position.

The program was developed 25 years ago by the Ohio Board of Regents. It gives field leaders funding and time to do research in their respective fields, and in return they are able to contribute more to their fields.

In 1990, Bowling Green was awarded an Ohio Eminent Scholar position in the field of industrial and organizational psychology and in 1991 gave the first position to Hakel. Hakel held the position for nearly 20 years before he retired and passed the torch to Highhouse.

In an article in the BGSU Monitor, psychology department chair Michael Zickar said the department came up with an objective list of scholars they thought would be good fits, and Highhouse rose to the top.

“We felt that using nearly any objective criteria, Scott Highhouse would have been at the top of that list,” Zickar said.

With this position, Highhouse’s teaching load is reduced and he will receive funding to enhance his research. The money will go mainly toward travel expenses, research costs and conferences.

“It just makes my life easier in every way,” Highhouse said. “I am able to focus on my research and produce more for the field and hopefully help the program become more well-known.”

While this position is a great personal honor, Highhouse said it has more to do with the reputation of the University’s industrial and organizational psychology program.

The University’s industrial and organizational psychology program is ranked fourth in the nation, according to the U.S. News and World Report, behind Michigan State University, University of Minnesota and Penn. State University. Highhouse said the University finished above many other prestigious schools and some Ivy League schools, institutions that professionals in the field think of when they think about great industrial and organizational psychology programs.

“Getting this position has everything to do with the reputation of program,” Highhouse said. “First they chose to award it to BGSU, and from there they decided which individual should get the position.”

Senior Jarrett Chorba, a psychology major, referred to Highhouse as a “legend on this campus.” It came as no shock to Chorba that he was given the Ohio Eminent Scholar position.

“There are a lot of great professors and researchers in our psychology department,” Chorba said, “but with that said, he obviously stands above the rest.”

Chorba said it’s obvious the professors at the University agree with him.

“I’ve been in numerous industrial [and] organizational psychology classes over the last several years, and each one has dedicated several class periods to reviewing research he has completed throughout his career,” Chorba said. “Every psychology instructor I’ve had speaks of him like a legend in the field of psychology, and speaks of him with the utmost respect.”