By Mary Fiess

SUNY�s Board of Trustees has appointed James Jaccard, whose research addresses some of society�s most vexing problems among adolescents, a Distinguished Professor at the University at Albany. Jaccard serves in Albany�s Department of Psychology and is director of the Center for Applied Psychological Research.

Professor Jaccard�s research has addressed reducing adolescent substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy and drunken driving among adolescents," said Chancellor John W. Ryan. "His work on population psychology, particularly among adolescents, has been instrumental in defining both practice and theory in the field. He is renowned for his work on attitudes and decision-making, quantitative methods and behavioral medicine and health."

Respected internationally as a methodologist and statistician, Jaccard is one of the leading authorities on structural equation modeling. He has advised the New York State Police in development of data bases for DNA testing and is currently a core member of the research team of the Adolescent Health Project, a national survey on adolescent health sponsored by the federal government.

The author of five books and more than 100 major articles, Jaccard has attracted over $4.5 million in support from major research organizations in the past ten years. His scholarly contributions have impacted the fields of psychology, family studies, health, business, sociology and political science. In the academic world, he is particularly known for his excruciating attention to measurement and, through his surveys of thousands of families, a careful analysis of the content and extent of communications between parents and teenagers in the areas of alcohol and sexual behavior.

"Many years ago when I first started looking at prevention approaches to teenage pregnancies, I did a thorough review of the literature on the topic," he said. "I found there were very few programs that were parent-based and the people who were doing research in the area were concluding that parents have little effect on adolescents.

"I did a critique of that research and found it methodologically and conceptually weak. I evolved some theoretical approaches to the communication process, and as I�ve applied them empirically, I�ve found that parents can make a difference in their adolescents� lives."

Jaccard became a faculty member in the University�s Department of Psychology in 1982 He has served three major professional organizations as an academic fellow and has been the recipient of an award for psychological research from the University of California and an award for health education research from the Society of Public Health Educators.

Nominations for promotion to Distinguished Professorial ranks arise from the faculty and student body on the nominating campus. A SUNY administration advisory committee evaluates the nominees and makes recommendations to the Chancellor, who presents them to the Board of Trustees for approval. The prestigious designation constitutes a promotion above that of full professor.

University at Albany
State University of New York