Directors

Alexander Spradlin, Ph.D. (he/him)

Scholarly Associate Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Faculty in WGSS
- Dr. Spradlin is an experimental psychologist and professor at WSUV, where he teaches courses on personality, research methods, behavior modification, motivation, and psychology as a science. His work emphasizes undergraduate research mentorship, providing students with hands-on experience in research on personality, stress, and digital behavior. Dr. Spradlin’s earlier scholarship includes empirical work on cannabis, coping, psychometrics, and social psychology, with 14 peer-reviewed publications (including five as first author), and has been featured in outlets such as Forbes, The New York Times, Newsweek, and APA Monitor. In addition to teaching and research, he has contributed extensive service through university committees, the Institutional Review Board, student research showcases, and numerous advocacy initiatives across multiple levels of the institution.

Scholarly Assistant Professor of Psychology
- Dr. Jenkins is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. Her research has two main areas: (1) integrating community-engaged pedagogy into courses and assessing its short- and long-term impacts, and (2) examining the antecedents and consequences of underemployment on work and health outcomes. She is currently supervising two paid undergraduate research assistants analyzing student outcomes of community-engaged pedagogy. This experience has provided hands-on training in advanced data analytics, research methods, and grant writing, along with opportunities for conference presentations, interdisciplinary collaboration, and co-authorship on publications. The team’s goal is to secure funding to sustain this work and continue employing undergraduate research assistants for the next three years. Additionally, Dr. Jenkins aims to provide students with research opportunities in I-O and occupational health psychology, focusing on topics like work-life balance, economic stressors, workplace well-being, and worker attitudes.

Scholarly Associate Professor of Human Development
- Dr. Bletscher’s research bridges work in her teaching- and Extension-related appointments. She has taught courses at WSU, Gonzaga University, and University of Florida in effective communication across differences and cultures, families in poverty, perspectives in human services, community development, international extension, systems thinking, and global citizenship. Her research is community-driven, as she often works alongside refugee and immigrant communities and/or social service agencies, exploring social networks and capital that provide and inhibit access to resources to support well-being. Dr. Bletscher’s research also includes student and faculty engagement, assessing student intercultural competencies and leadership skills through international education, innovative teaching, and co-curricular programming. Since her arrival at WSU in summer of 2016, she has supported over 40 undergraduate Research and Teaching Assistants and has accompanied and co-presented with eight at domestic and international research conferences.