At this early point in the planning process, we have a host of endorsers already on board. These include individual endorsements by Dr. Duane Alexander, Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); Dr. Norman Anderson, Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Dr. Steven Hyman, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health; and Dr. Alan Leshner, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The following organizations have also approved resolutions of support for the Decade of Behavior: the Association of Behavior Analysis; the Consortium of Social Science Associations (represent-ing 13 social science societies); the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (representing more than 350 graduate departments); and the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, representing 17 behavioral science organizations. We are hard at work to schedule appointments over the next several months with other NIH institute directors, federal agency heads, and the executive committees of relevant scientific societies.

Recently, a call for nominations was sent to more than 30 scientific societies, including APA, inviting each to nominate two of their most distinguished members to the Decade of Behavior National Advisory Committee (NAC). The NAC will be responsible for setting the overall agenda for the Decade of Behavior initiative which may include: planning the formal launch of the Decade of Behavior late in 1999 and setting major goals for the public education campaign, the federal advocacy effort, and the research agenda.

To ensure that the NAC includes the most talented people in the nation who represent the breadth of the behavioral and social sciences, we are recruiting a distinguished group to serve on the NAC Selection Committeee. We have received acceptances from five sterling individuals who will serve as members of the NAC Selection Committee. They include:

Duane Alexander, Director of NICHD, which leads the federal biomedical and behavior research effort that focuses on the spectrum of human growth and development from conception through birth to maturity and old age. Dr. Alexander is a diplomat of the American Board of Pediatrics and an Assistant Surgeon General in the U.S. Public Health Service.

Judy Auerbach, Assistant Director for Social and Behavioral Sciences, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Dr. Auerbach, a sociologist by training, has previously worked at COSSA and the University of California at Los Angeles. Prior to moving to OSTP, she was a senior staff member at the AIDS Office at NIH.

Deborah Boehm-Davis, Professor of Psychology, Human Factors and Applied Cognition Program, George Mason University. In addition to having served as chair of her department and in university administration, Professor Davis has also testified before Congress on issues relating to research funding in the social sciences, and she is Past President of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Shirley Malcom, head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Malcom was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1995. She was ap-pointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate as a member of the National Science Board and was named to the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Orlando Taylor, Dean of Graduate Studies, Howard University. Dr. Taylor, an expert in linguistics, has also served as Dean-in-Residence at the Council of Graduate Schools, and he is recognized nationally for his efforts to promote ethnic diversity among the faculties of colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Our goal is to convene a meeting of the NAC Selection Committee by the end of June. Based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee, members of the NAC will be named, and an initial meeting of the NAC will be held in the early fall. From that point onward, the NAC will guide all aspects of the Decade of Behavior initiative. We will make available to you the complete makeup of the NAC at the earliest possible time. Stay tuned for further details. And remember--there are less than 18 months remaining until the beginning of the new millennium! 

Return to Articles/Press page

Go to the Decade of Behavior home page