Newsletter
Volume 29 | 2006 | Number 2
2007 Fellows Nominations Sought
The honorary membership designation of Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis was first initiated in 2004. ABA is currently accepting nominations for 2007 Fellows. The purpose of the ABA Fellows designation is to recognize the most outstanding contributors to behavior analysis in the primary areas of (a) research/scholarship, (b) professional practice, (c) teaching/administration/ service, or any combination of (a), (b), and (c). Potential members will be nominated by their peers, and nominations will be accepted for Full members of ABA who have a documented record of sustained and excellent contributions in any of these three primary areas. An aggregate of contributions across areas may also make an individual eligible.
Nominations Procedure
Nominators should first contact a nominee and ascertain that (a) the individual consents to being nominated as a Fellow and (b) the nominee would agree to serve on the Fellows Committee if requested. If the individual does not so consent, no further action should be taken. If the individual does consent, steps two and three should be taken.
Second, the nominator should obtain a curriculum vitae (CV) from the nominee.
Third, the nominee should suggest to the nominator the names of at least two referees to be used in the review process, at least one of whom must be a Fellow of ABA. A list of Fellows is available on the ABA web site.
When the nominator receives all the information (consent, CV, referees), the nominator should transmit it to the ABA office along with a nominating letter. To summarize, the material to be sent to the ABA office will include: (a) nominee consent, (b) nominee CV, (c) nominee referee suggestions, and (d) supporting letter from nominator. The ABA office will then transmit this material to the Fellows Committee for its review. As far as possible, the material and its transmission should be done in electronic form.
Again, nominations may emphasize excellence in a single category or across categories, with detailed consideration of the relevant criteria (below). Letters may be e-mailed to ABA at fellowscommittee@abainternational.org (Subject: Fellow Nomination) or mailed to: ABA; Attn: Fellow Nominations; 550 West Centre Ave., Suite 1; Portage, MI 49024. Please include your name and contact information. Your nomination will be kept confidential, but the review committee may need to contact you for further information.
Research/Scholarship Criteria for Nomination
The criteria that apply to the designation of ABA Fellow on the basis of Research/Scholarship are as follows:
- Sustained record of impressive and outstanding work, with a significant impact on the development of behavior analysis in domains of experimental analysis of behavior, applied behavior analysis, and/or the conceptual analysis of behavior.
- Contributions through quality peer-reviewed publications generally recognized by the scholarly community and wide recognition of a nominee’s work as evidenced by extensive citations, sustained research support, invited presentations, and other significant scholarly efforts, for example, as represented in programs and meetings of professional groups and associations.
- Wide citation of nominee’s work by others is particularly material and convincing.
- Documentation that the nominee has enriched the field on a scale well beyond that of being simply a competent researcher/scholar.
Workshop activity is not automatically evidence of research/scholarship in the sense of the above criteria, but can be used as evidence of sustained contribution. Evidence of steady and continuing competence in itself is insufficient to meet the criterion of outstanding contribution. As well, the following accomplishments, even when taken together, may not provide convincing evidence of the impact of a nominee’s work to warrant Fellow status. They may represent the noteworthy behavior analyst, but not necessarily the outstanding one: (1) published convention abstracts; (2) published convention proceedings; (3) work in preparation; (4) book chapters in a collection that is edited or co-edited by the nominee; (5) publications which by their title suggest that the nominee has generated a number of publications from a single collection of data; (6) a long list of multiple-authored publications where the nominee is the primary author less than 50% of the time without explanation of the nominee’s role.
Professional Practice Criteria for Nomination
The criteria that apply to the designation of ABA Fellow on the basis of Professional Practice are as follows:
- A broad history and sustained record of professional practice or delivery of behavior-analytic professional services with documented impact at the local, state, regional, national, or international levels.
- Documentation of how the nominee’s therapy or practice represents an innovative and effective application with, for example, a difficult disorder or an atypical client/patient population.
- Documentation of how the nominee’s business or consulting activities represent an innovative and effective application with broad and significant impact on business or commercial practices.
- Documentation that the nominee has enriched the field on a scale well beyond that of being a competent practitioner.
Teaching, Administration, or Professional Criteria for Nomination
Teaching
The criteria that apply to the designation of ABA Fellow on the basis of Teaching are as follows:
- Evidence of outstanding teaching contributions such as consistently excellent student ratings or preparation of a widely used textbook or development of significant educational material.
- A broad history and sustained record of demonstrably excellent curricular/programmatic innovations.
- Documentation that the nominee has enriched the field on a scale well beyond that of being a competent teacher.
- A broad history and sustained record of teaching with a clear and positive impact on students and the instructional process.
Administrative Service
The criteria that apply to the designation of ABA Fellow on the basis of Administrative Service are as follows:
- A broad history and sustained record of demonstrably excellent administrative service in one’s own behavior-analytic organization (includes private sector, public sector, and academic).
- A broad history and sustained record of demonstrably excellent performance as administrative official or comparably influential person in behavior analytic professional organization or society at local, state, regional, national, or international level.
- A broad history and sustained record of demonstrably excellent performance in positions of increasing difficulty or responsibility in one’s own behavior-analytic organization.
- A broad history and sustained record of demonstrably excellent performance as administrator of behavior-analytic programs involving considerable technical responsibility, effective supervision of professional personnel, or installation of programs in an organization.
- Documentation that the nominee has enriched the field on a scale well beyond that of being a competent administrator/supervisor.
Professional Service to the Discipline
The criteria that apply to the designation of ABA Fellow on the basis of Professional Service to the discipline are as follows:
- Founding editor of high quality journal.
- A record of sustained and demonstrably excellent service as editor/referee.
- A record of sustained and demonstrably excellent communication with those in related fields that enhances the status of behavior analysis.
- A record of sustained and demonstrably excellent participation in grant-review study sections or other scholarly reviewing activities relevant to behavior analysis.
- Evidence that the nominee has contributed to the promotion of the status of behavior analysis on the social-political scene, especially efforts that enhance the image of behavior analysis.
- A record of sustained and demonstrably excellent influence on the discipline of behavior analysis outside one’s own setting.
- A record of sustained and demonstrably excellent service as leader of credentialing body.
- Documentation that the nominee has enriched the field on a scale well beyond that of being a competent referee, site visitor, editor, or the like.
- A record of sustained and demonstrably excellent administration of the professional activities of the discipline.
Professional Service at Local, State, Regional, National, or International Levels
The criteria that apply to the designation of ABA Fellow on the basis of Professional service at local, state, regional, national, or international levels are as follows:
- A record of sustained and demonstrably excellent public relations and media participation marked by energy, imagination, scholarship, and persistence.
- Evidence of impact upon the behavior-analytic component of larger local, state, regional, national, or international organizations.
- Consultation with courts, legislatures, or criminal justice programs.
- Documentation that the nominee has enriched the field of behavior analysis on a scale well beyond that of being a competent member of the larger community.
- A broad history and sustained record of demonstrably excellent professional service with documented impact at the local, state, regional, national, or international levels.
- Recipient of an award by either a behavior-analytic or other psychological professional organization or society at local, state, regional, national, or international level.
The following attainments, even when taken together, will not generally provide convincing evidence of the impact of a nominee’s service to warrant Fellow status. They may represent the noteworthy behavior analyst, but not necessarily the outstanding one: (1) a term of service as department chair in an academic institution; (2) a term of service as director of clinical training in an academic institution; (3) a term of service as associate or consulting editor of a journal of a learned society; (4) a term of service as administrative officer (including president) of either a behavior-analytic or other psychological professional organization or society, at local, state, regional, national, or international level; and (5) recipient of an award by either a behavior-analytic or other psychological professional organization or society at local, state, regional, national, or international level.