February 1, 2026           

Dear STP Members,

I hope you are settling nicely into your school term. As always seems to be the case, I started my semester feeling underprepared for my classes. Yet now that the routine has set in, things that need to get done are getting done because, just like you, I know that we are all driven by a passion for our students and our discipline.

That passion we all feel was planted some way, somehow, by someone who mentored us into the excellent teachers that we are today. In my case, I would never be in this position – or even this career – had it not been for Barry Schlenker and the late Rich Griggs, both of whom mentored me while I was a graduate student at the University of Florida many years ago. 

Indeed, as I reflect on my professional journey, I wanted to do something to honor their efforts, both with me and dozens of other graduate students who came before and after me. Our Society has established a Fund for Excellence for just such a purpose. This fund is special because it is not for immediate expenses; it is an endowment fund designed to exist in perpetuity that allows us to provide monetary support to the recipients of our Society Teaching and Service Awards. It ensures that we can continue to recognize and reward the teaching excellence award winners that epitomize the very best of our community. 

I also know that we share a reality that is common across our profession: we often do more with less, and personal budgets are frequently stretched thin. I am acutely aware that asking for money is uncomfortable, and I never want to add a burden to colleagues who are already giving so much of themselves in the classroom. Indeed, I feel nothing short of squeamish writing this letter. But if you are in a position to do so, please consider honoring a teacher who made a difference in your professional and perhaps personal life by contributing to the Fund for Excellence. When you make your donation, you can enter your honoree’s name! 

By contributing to the Fund for Excellence, you are not only honoring a mentor or making a donation; you are investing in the long-term recognition of teaching. You are ensuring that we can celebrate future generations of psychology teachers for their innovation, mentorship, and dedication to excellence. If you are in a position to give, please know that any amount makes a difference.

Thank you for considering this request, and more importantly, thank you for the work you do every day for your students and to advance the teaching of psychology.

Sincerely,

Andrew Christopher
President, Society for the Teaching of Psychology

Read past letters from the STP President