Every college must have an outreach program, and an outreach program needs a leader. When the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences began sending lecturers throughout Georgia, psychology professor Roger Thomas decided to apply for the job of coordinator. In its fifth year, the program has grown from 25 speakers the first year to 165 in the 1996-1997 season.
Audiences range from elementary school classes to retired persons, and just about anyone in between.
As coordinator, Thomas organizes who will speak to which group, updates the list of speakers each year and publicizes the program by sending about 1,000 copies of the list to county agents, newspapers, organizations and individuals. See accompanying story. These time-intensive activities are combined with a demanding faculty position, which includes teaching psychology, supervising graduate students and conducting research. Thomas says many of the ancient- looking books are classics he uses when teaching the history of psychology. The season runs from July 1 to June 30, and by early October, he had already scheduled 65 of the free presentations for the 1997-1998 year.