Issue #8 Summer 2026
Hello Psychology Lakers, we had another great year, and we are excited to share it with you! Our new department chair Dr. Chris Kurby will update you on some of our major accomplishments. In this issue, you will meet our newest tenure-track faculty, “tour” the newly renovated lab space, and learn about a newly published book, new courses, and a new study abroad program. Finally, you will also read about some of the exciting events where the psychology development reaches out to the community and connects our alumni to our current students. We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and please write to us if you would like to share anything with us.
Dr. Chris Kurby became our department chair on May 1st, 2025. It has been a whole year since he began serving in this leadership role. Here is what he wants to say to you:
Hello Psychology Alumni,
GVSU Psychology has completed another great academic year. We saw approximately 9,000 students in seats in our classrooms over the academic year, and approximately 190 students graduated in Winter 2026 with a degree in Psychology. Congratulations to all our wonderful students!
Our department experienced several changes, and new things, this academic year. I finished my first year as Chair. Kristy Dean and Glenn Valdez also completed their first years as Assistant Chairs. We officially opened our new research lab space on the first floor of AuSable Hall and held a grand opening ribbon-cutting event in January 2026, with spoken acknowledgments by Dean Anderson and Provost Drake. We were very fortunate to see our faculty member, Natashia Swalve, promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. We were also fortunate to welcome our newly hired tenure-stream faculty member, Ying Wang, into our department’s family. We also saw the retirement of two long-standing Psychology faculty – Brian Lakey and Xandra Xu. We thank them for all of their years of dedicated service to our students, department, research field, and university.
GVSU Psychology engaged in several activities connecting our department to the outside community. Our faculty held food and clothing drives, connected students with adults in the community for shared-learning experiences, held special events on resilience to trauma, produced alumni engagement events, and more. Our department continues to explore opportunities to engage our alumni and the public as we seek to build a larger community engaged in the science and education of Psychology and implications on mental health. Keep an eye out for GVSU Psychology’s free public lecture event in late September 2026!
This was the first official year of the CLAS Voyage and GVSU Psychology has made major strides to support the initiative. We held a large welcome event for new Psychology majors at the start of the Fall semester. We had several hands-on demonstrations of psychological principles, all of our student organizations, and a large number of faculty to greet our new students as they begin their voyage.
Our department was very active with research and mentorship. GVSU Psychology produced over 100 research products (e.g., peer reviewed articles, book chapters, conference presentations, etc.) this academic year, along with the awarding of several grants, and mentoring over 140 students in research experience. With the support of the newly renovated research lab space, we look forward to sustaining our impactful research productivity.
As we recharge over the summer, we are reflecting on our department’s many achievements as well as planning for the start of the upcoming academic year. We are excited for what the future holds and to welcome our new CLAS Dean, Chris Jones.
Dr. Chris Kurby
Dr. Ying Wang will join the Department of Psychology as a tenure-track Assistant Professor this fall after serving as an Affiliate Professor at GVSU for the past three years. She received her Ph.D. from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Tsinghua University.
Her research examines how language experience shapes children’s cognitive development across diverse cultural and educational contexts. Current projects focus on bilingualism and immersion education, literacy development, language-music interactions, and neurodiversity. Through partnerships with local schools, her work seeks to translate developmental science into evidence-based educational practices that support diverse learners. Dr. Wang teaches Research Methods, Psychology Research & Data Applications, and related courses, and is passionate about involving undergraduate students in meaningful research experiences.
Drs. Xu and Lakey retired in the past school year. Both of them have taught at GVSU for decades and maintained active research programs. Many of you may not only have taken classes with them, but may have also been part of their research teams; either working at the fish lab studying memory and learning or analyzing data trying to predict factors that make social support effective. Let’s wish them a wonderful life after a long career of teaching! Have some much deserved fun!!
Dr. Xandra Xu
After 32 years of teaching in the areas of biopsychology and neuroscience at GVSU, Dr. Xandra Xu retired at the end of Winter semester in 2026.
Dr. Brian Lakey
Dr. Brian Lakey retired at the end of Fall semester in 2025 after 20 years of teaching at Grand Valley in the areas of clinical, social, and personality psychology.
After months of remodeling the lab area on the first floor of Au Sable Hall in the summer of 2025, we finally have the new space up and running. The lab space had a complete makeover 30 years after it was first used as Psychology laboratories. The new space is amazingly beautiful and welcoming for research!
In January, the department hosted a dedication event to celebrate the newly remodeled Au Sable Psychology Labs. During the event, previous Chair Mary Bower-Russa acknowledged everyone who helped bring our vision to fruition and shared that, “This remodel has done more than update a physical space. It really has given our department new life and it has given new energy.”
The addition of a designated waiting room and windows have created a more welcoming environment for participants and researchers alike. Furthermore, the reconfiguration of the space and the new technology have increased the usability of the space and allowed for more students to engage in experiential learning.
If you’d like to learn more, check out our virtual walk through.
Picturesque Waiting Area with a Bright & Wider Hallway
Multiple Conference/Meeting Rooms
Various Testing Rooms for Data Collection with Individuals and/or Groups
Dr. Tasha Swalve, who joined the Psychology Department in 2023, recently published her first book, titled The Fear Knot. Published by Prometheus in October 2025, The Fear Knot explains why we fear what we shouldn't, what things we do need to be more curious about, and how to tackle your own irrational fears. Integrating psychology, neuroscience, and journalism through the lens of her co-author, Ruth DeFoster, this book talks about why people are more afraid of vaccines than smallpox and think the most dangerous jobs are police officers, not farmers, even though the latter are far more dangerous.
From Dr. Swalve: “We live in a world where we're not sure what to fear. We see on social media that emergency responders are accidentally overdosing from fentanyl while trying to save others but never hear about the science that says that that has never been documented. We hear stories of AI taking over the world and don't know if we should use ChatGPT. Sorting through misinformation, sketchy statistics, and anecdotes is incredibly difficult and is becoming harder and harder with new deepfakes and our algorithm pumping out stories that confirm our biases. The Fear Knot helps differentiate the science from the moral panics. My goal is, through writing and other formats like TikTok, to bring accurate, accessible science to everyone, not just students (although teaching students is great, too!).”
This summer, Dr. Ben Swets offers a new study abroad program in Spain: Psychology of Bilingualism in Spain. It allows the students to learn the psychology, history and culture of Spain’s bilingual regions: Catalonia and Basque Country. It involves a 3-week trip that begins in Barcelona, a stimulating modern city with stunning art and architecture, and ends at the Basque cities of Bilbao and San Sebastian, which feature beautiful mountain and ocean vistas, world-famous food, and fascinating cultural and linguistic histories. 12 students registered for this 6-credit inaugural faculty-led program.
PSY 230
PSY 230 is the first 200-level course in the Psychology Development. Dr. Natashia Swalve, the author of the book The Fear Knot, will be teaching this course. It will introduce the biological underpinnings of psychological phenomenon, and relates neuroscience contents to everyday life. Multiple sections will be offered in both the Fall and Winter semesters.
Learn more about PSY 230
PSY 436
This is a new mouse behavior laboratory course. Dr. Elizabeth Flandreau developed this new course to let behavioral neuroscience students learn how to design, carry out, and analyze anxiety-like behavior in a mouse model of PTSD and even dissect a mouse brain. Success in this course makes students more competitive for future endeavors related to research, neuroscience, and medicine. This course involves both lectures and laboratories.
Learn more about PSY 436
In recognition of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, GVSU’s Chapter of Psi Chi – The International Honor Society in Psychology organized a Domestic Violence Awareness and Kit Assembly Night held on February 26th, 2026. With support from the Psychology Department, Community Engagement Committee, Psych Friends, and The Storehouse of Community Resources, Psi Chi members and undergraduate volunteers came together to serve individuals impacted by domestic and dating violence.
After a presentation by Dr. Tara Cornelius, The Psychology of Intimate Partner Violence, Psi Chi members and volunteers came together to assemble 150 care kits (100 women, 25 younger children, 25 older children). Along with additional donated items (e.g., baby supplies, toiletries, games/puzzles), the kits were provided to YWCA West Central Michigan. According to Lesa Hardiman (VP of Development and Partnerships, YWCA), the bags went directly to the “YWCA Nurse Examiner Program. This program provides compassionate, trauma-informed medical forensic exams for individuals who have experienced sexual assault or interpersonal violence. Our specially trained nurse examiners offer medical care, evidence collection, crisis support, and referrals to advocacy and counseling services in a safe and supportive environment. The donation bags help us provide comfort items and essential supplies to survivors during an incredibly difficult time, which makes your contribution especially meaningful.” The event reflects the Psychology Department and Psi Chi’s ongoing commitment to community service, advocacy, and making a tangible impact beyond campus.
Last October, we invited Justice Kyra Harris Bolden for the 2025 CLAS Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence program. In case you do not already know her, here is a brief bio of Justice Bolden:
Justice Kyra Harris Bolden is an American jurist and politician serving as an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, making history as the first Black woman appointed and elected to the state's highest court. She is also its youngest member. She was born on the east side of Michigan and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Grand Valley in 2010 prior to earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2014. After law school, she served as a judicial law clerk in Wayne County's Third Circuit Court and worked as a civil litigation attorney. Between 2019 and 2023, she represented the 35th District, serving as Assistant Democratic Leader and focusing on criminal justice reform and legislation for sexual assault survivors. In January 2023, she was appointed by Governor Whitmer to fill a vacancy and she later won a full term.
During her visit to campus last November, we organized a “Conversation with Justice Bolden” session where she shared her career journey and answered questions from students. There were over 70 students and faculty attending the event.
With PSYCH Friends and Psi Chi
With Faculty of Alumni Relations Committee
Please write to us:
If you have any suggestions on how to better connect our alumni to the department, please let us know by sending us an email at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!
All the best from the Psychology Department!
