Newsletter
Volume 29 | 2006 | Number 2
A Message from the SABA President
By Dr. Frances K. McSweeney
Dr. Frances McSweeney
The Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA) was established to provide financial support for the advancement of behavior analysis. Because SABA is closely tied to the Association for Behavior Analysis (ABA), the Past President of ABA serves as the President of SABA. The ABA Executive Council, except for the Student Representative, serves as the SABA Board of Directors.
The ABA membership has responded generously to the call to support our field. Three hundred and three ABA members contributed to SABA activities from January, 2005 to the May, 2006 ABA convention. Their donations supported many worthwhile activities, but the Student Presenters Fund was our most popular cause. This fund pays for registration for students who are primary presenters at the annual convention. Last year, 181 students received an award from the fund.
In addition to undesignated contributions, SABA has raised or is raising funds for three large endowments. First, the Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Fellowship Fund resulted from generous donations by the Bijous. The fund provides grant support for students with an interest in child development. This year’s recipients of the awards were Elizabeth Athens of the University of Florida and Sarah O’Connor of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
Second, the Experimental Analysis of Behavior Fellowship Fund provides grant support for students who are studying the experimental analysis of behavior. This year’s recipient of the award was Bethany Raiff of the University of Florida. Finally, the International Endowment Fund will provide a fellowship for the international development of behavior analysis when it is complete. To date, this fund has reached a balance of $74,650. $25,350 is needed to reach the goal of $100,000 required to activate the fund.
In 2005, SABA also funded three grants for the international development of behavior analysis. One award went to Aldo Hernandez Barrios and Vladimir Bernal Alfonso (Universidad Católica de Colombia, Unidad de Servicios Psicológicos, Colombia), for the development of a program for undergraduate psychology students at the Universidad Católica de Colombia and the Unidad de Servicios Psicológicos. The program will support students while they fulfill their professional practice work in a clinical setting. A second award was presented to Dr. Martti T. Tuomisto (Institute for Extension Studies, University of Tampere, Finland). The award supports the development of a program of studies for 20 to 30 participants to become Board Certified. The final award went to Dr. Denis O’Hora and Colleagues (University of Ulster, Northern Ireland) for the development of the first Master’s Program in Behavior Analysis in Northern Ireland and the first BCBA approved course sequence in Ireland.
Finally, SABA provided funds to support the awards given at the 2006 convention. This year’s award for Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis went to James Dinsmoor; the award for the International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis, to Joseph Morrow; the award for Public Service in Behavior Analysis, to Robert Horner; the award for the Impact of Science on Application, to Nathan Azrin; the award for the Effective Presentation of Behavior Analysis in the Mass Media, to James Kauffman; and the award for Programmatic Contributions to Behavior Analysis, to the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. I was particularly proud to present awards to Joe Morrow and Rob Horner, both of whom received part of their education from Washington State University, my home University. Congratulations to all of our award winners!
Several individuals need our special thanks because they made large contributions to SABA over the last year. Ed Anderson and Aubrey Daniels contributed to the International Endowment Fund. Holdsambeck and Associates contributed to the unrestricted fund. Greg Stikeleather contributed to multiple funds. Phil Hineline contributed to help support The Behavior Analyst and Jack Michael contributed the proceeds from his textbook to the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group. Finally, Dick Malott contributed the proceeds from his t-shirt sales to the Student Presenters Fund.
A big thank you goes to all of you who made contributions to SABA over the last year. To reward your generosity, ABA now holds a reception at the annual convention. The 2006 reception was a lively, well-attended event. To make a contribution to SABA, please go to the ABA Web site (www.abainternational.org) and click on “SABA,” then on “contributions,” and then on “make a donation to SABA.”