Interview with Elizabeth P. Lorch, April 1, 1992

Interview Summary

Elizabeth P. Lorch is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Kentucky and serves as the Coordinator of the Cognitive and Developmental Studies graduate program. She was born in 1952 in Hartford, Connecticut. She attended Emmanuel College and graduated in 1974 with a B.A. in psychology. She describes honors and awards that she has received as a student and talks about the importance of education to her family. She states that her mother also had a PhD in psychology, and taught both at the elementary school and university level. Her father worked for the state of Connecticut. She talks about choosing the field of psychology for her career, and the typical career path in her field.

Lorch came to UK in 1980, since it enable both her and her husband to find positions in the same physical location. She describes her day-to-day responsibilities as a university professor, and explains how her days involve a lot of variety including teaching, research, and committee and administrative work. Lorch talks about skills important in her job and mentions organization skills, analytical thinking, and communication and writing skills. She describes the work that she completes at home, and that which she is able to work on in her office.

Lorch describes her research on children and the influence of television and reading. She states that she views writing as the most difficult part of her work. She talks about what affects her attitude towards her work particularly the progress of her research and her interactions with students.

She describes UK in general and states that the greatest achievement of the university is the interaction between research and education. She sees that biggest problem on campus are circumstances that impede the mission. She describes the influence of gender and race on careers at the University of Kentucky. She mentions that nationality may have influence on who is hired to teach at UK, since being able to communicate well in English is important. Lorch also talks about racial tensions on campus and in Lexington in general.

Lorch discusses the work culture in her department and states that it is largely cooperative. She talks about the mentoring program that the department provides for junior faculty members. She recalls taking a one semester sabbatical at the University of Massachusetts. Lorch describes the affect of her work on her family. She explains that her husband is also a professor of psychology at UK, and she describes how this influences the time that they are able to spend with their daughter. She mentions stresses relating to her work and how her time is divided between her various responsibilities. Lorch also talks the courses that she is currently teaching, and provides her view of student teaching evaluations. Lorch talks about changes that she would like to see in higher education in Kentucky.

Interview Keyword

Nature of Academic Work

Interview LC Subject

Lorch, Elizabeth Pugzles, 1952- Lorch, Elizabeth Pugzles, 1952- --Interviews University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History

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Interview Usage

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