SCOTT FRASER

Chairperson, Department of Psychology- Florida International University 1991 to 2000

Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology- The University of Akron, 1986

M.A. in Psychology- The University of Akron, 1982

B.A. (Magna Cum Laude)- Youngstown State University,1978

Scott Fraser, the only son of Irene and Ernest Fraser, was born in Youngstown, Ohio. He received his bachelor's degree from Youngstown State University and his master's and doctorate in psychology from Akron University. Fraser joined the department in 1986 after a two-years at Purdue University at Indianapolis.

Dr. Fraser became an Associate Professor in 1990 and rose to become chairperson of the Department of Psychology in 1991. Throughout his tenure as chairperson he not only administered a department of 26 full time faculty, 105 graduate students in three Ph.D. and four M.S. tracks, and over 1500 undergraduate psychology majors, but he became one of the most beloved and popular faculty members with our students. Somehow, he always found time to mentor students, and to communicate with them in a manner that truly fostered their intellectual, emotional, and professional development in an atmosphere of warmth created by his unique personal touch.

Scott Fraser was much more than the student-oriented mentor, he was also a serious and varied researcher whose interests and publications ranged from personnel issues such as employee selection, customer service skill assessment, and the impact of drug screening on selection decisions, to police work questions like the personality assessment of successful hostage negotiators and their resistance to post-traumatic stress disorder, and more theoretical issues like the role of intelligence in a science of behavior.

Noteworthy among his publications was "The Choice Hire Employee Selection Survey" in 1999, "On the choice of scales for task analysis," in The Journal of Applied Psychology, and "The impact of drug screening on selection decisions," in The Journal of Business Psychology.

He also was very involved in professional and community service, including having been on the editorial board of The Journal of Organizational Behavioral Management and Forensic Reports. He was also a member of the Academy of Management, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychology and Law Society, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Southeastern Psychological Association, and a charter member of the American Psychological Society. Dr. Fraser worked with local police and fire departments on personnel issues and even, at one time, served as a reviewer and discussant at the Coconut Grove Playhouse.

At the time of his death Dr. Fraser was in the final months of his long, effective, and distinguished tenure as Chairperson of the Department of Psychology at Florida International University. He is survived by his wife Susan, who continues to be a friend and supporter of the Department of Psychology.