Hebl receives Nicolas Salgo Distinguished Teacher Award

Hebl receives Nicolas Salgo Distinguished Teacher Award

BY MIKE WILLIAMS
Special to the Rice News

Listen to Michelle ”Mikki” Hebl, and you’ll know why her students at Rice love her so much they’ve honored her with this year’s Nicolas Salgo Distinguished Teacher Award.

	MIKKI HEBL

“On the last day of class, I gave them my standard ‘backpack lecture’ in which I tell them what I hope they will remember to put in their ‘memories-about-college-courses backpack,'” said Hebl, associate professor of psychology and management.

She condensed the high points of her Social Psychology valedictory:

1. Questioning authority is a privilege we have in the U.S. and we should realize research (and history) shows its worth.

2. We are all biased information processors, and we use lots of stereotypes and inflate our self-worth daily. It’s normal, and even helpful, though!

3. Students should learn to identify and understand persuasion tactics because they fall prey to them on a daily basis.

4. Situations are very powerful predictors of students’ behaviors, so they should consider carefully the situations they enter.

5. Whether male or female, black or white, young or old, we are more similar than different.

6. Social support and identification with ‘in groups’ is key for good self-esteem and positive life outcomes.

7. Learning about certain social psychological phenomena (for example, bystander intervention) can help reduce their harmful effects. That is, people are actually more likely to help others once they learn that most people avoid helping others!

A Wisconsin native still stinging from Brett Favre’s retirement, Hebl was chosen for the award by members of the junior and senior class. The avid marathon runner also shared this year’s Charles Duncan Award for accomplishment in scholarship and teaching.

Hebl is an applied social psychologist who specializes in industrial/organizational psychology, particularly the study of ”mixed” interactions, or those between stigmatized and nonstigmatized individuals — for example, those who are pregnant, obese, or gay and lesbian. Her ultimate goal is to reduce discrimination, both overt and subtle, against individuals and increase diversity within organizations.