Title: Professor and Author
Company: Minot State University
Location: Minot, North Dakota, United States
Rita Curl-Langager, Professor Emeritus at Minot State University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in instruction and research in psychology.
Dr. Curl-Langager obtained a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in psychology with a minor in education at Illinois Wesleyan University, in 1974 and followed with a Master of Science in child development and family relationships from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1976. She continued her education with a Doctor of Philosophy in developmental and child psychology from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, in 1982.
During Dr. Curl-Langager’s tenure as a professor in the Department of Addiction Studies, Psychology and Social Work at Minot State University from 1997 to 2018, she taught over 100 courses in child development, adolescent psychology, and adulthood and aging, 25 courses in applied behavior analysis, and additional courses in industrial/organizational psychology, psychology practicum, and service learning. She had previously served as an associate professor in the Department of Education and Psychology with Minot State from 1991 to 1997. Since 2018 she has been honored with a professor emeritus position at Minot State.
Dr. Curl-Langager began her career in education in 1974 with Empowering People, Inspiring Capabilities, an organization in Peoria, Illinois. After excelling as a teacher and research assistant with institutions in Urbana and Champaign, Illinois from 1974 to 1978, she made an impact with the University of Kansas in Lawrence teaching and conducting research for the Special Preschool for Children with Behavior and Learning Problems and various positions including research associate at the Bureau of Child Research and adjunct assistant professor in the department of human development with the University of Kansas from 1978 to 1987. Dr. Curl-Langager found much success with Utah State University in Logan as a research associate and an instructor of special education in 1987 before being named as an adjunct associate professor in the department in psychology in 1988, serving with distinction until 1991. In addition to teaching, Dr. Curl-Langager has spearheaded research in developmental disabilities for numerous institutions that include serving as the dissemination coordinator for the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities at Minot State University from 1997 to 2001 and the project director for the North Dakota Project for Older Persons with Developmental Disabilities between 1993 and 2002.
Dr. Curl-Langager has authored several books and scholarly works in professional journals including “Adulthood: An Introduction,” currently in press, “Desired Outcomes of an Undergraduate Education in Psychology from Departmental, Student, and Societal Perspectives,” “Undergraduate Education in Psychology: A Blueprint for the Future of the Discipline,” “Instructor’s Manual to Accompany Adolescence,” “Traumatic Brain Injury Vocational Rehabilitation: Preliminary Findings for the Co-worker as Trainer Project,” and many others. Dr. Curl-Langager has secured nearly a dozen grants to support her research and was the recipient of an Award for Outstanding Research from the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy and a Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Poster from the Association for Behavior Analysis.
Attributing her success to persistence and determination, Dr. Curl-Langager was inspired to enter the educational field by her father, who encouraged her to study psychology. As career highlights, she cites writing and being involved with the American Psychological Association’s Division 2 and joining the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. In the immediate future, she intends to compose the second edition of the textbook “Adulthood: An Introduction.”
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