Welcome
podonnell@rivier.eduPatrice O'Donnell at River College at her desk.


Dr. Patrice O’Donnell



Professor of Psychology Rivier College
Nashua, NH, USA
(603) 897-8271

I was born and raised in Nashua, NH and attended local schools. When I was four years old I told my parents that when I grew up I wanted to be a teacher, and I never wavered from that decision.

The topic of poverty in the United States is of great interest to me. You probably do not want to get me on the topic of poverty unless you are truly interested and have an extended period of time for discussion

 

The courses I teach include:
General Psychology,
all of the developmental psychology courses,
Human Sexuality,
Social Psychology,
Psychology of Women,
Counseling Theories and Practices,
and Clinical Psychology.

River College Psychology Department

 

 

 

Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Patrice O'Donnell

EDUCATION

2005 Ph.D. Social & Developmental Psychology

Boston University Boston, MA

Dissertation: Undergraduate experiences at women’s single-sex and co-educational colleges.

1987 M.B.A. Management

Rivier College Nashua, NH


1976 M.Ed. Counseling

Wayne State University Detroit, MI


1974 B.S. Elementary Education

Keene State College Keene, NH

EMPLOYMENT AND PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT

1978 – Present Rivier College

Nashua, NH

Chairperson, Faculty Forum (1999-2002)

Under this forum leadership team, the Faculty Senate was proposed and negotiated; winning approval by the Board of Trustees in 2002.


Chairperson, Behavioral Sciences Department (1993-2004)


Director, Challenge Program (1984-1990)

Gifted & Talented high school students from 13 local school systems.


Professor (1998)


Tenured (1993)


Associate Professor (1989-1998)


Assistant Professor, full-time (1983-1989)


Adjunct faculty, part-time (1978-1983)


1991-92 Boston University

Teaching Fellowship

1982-1986 Private Counseling Practice

Nashua, NH

1980-1982 Merrimack Valley Counseling Association

Nashua, NH

1978-80 Adjunct Instructor

Nathaniel Hawthorne College

1977-78 Adjunct Instructor

New Hampshire College

1976-1980 Adult Learning Center

Nashua, NH

Program Director/ Title XX: Employment, Training and Support Program

Counselor Provided academic, career, and personal counseling, as well as job seeking skills classes, to individuals receiving public assistance.

Committees at Rivier

2011 – Present Library/ Information Technology Advisory Council

2011-2012 Adjunct Handbook Revision Committee

2011-2012 Psychology Search Committee

2009-2012 NEASC Standard 3 Committee

2008 -2011 Rank and Tenure

1989-2010 Women’s Studies

2010 Ad Hoc Committee on Digital Devices Policy

2007-2010 Writing Across Curriculum

2007-2009 Online Teaching & Learning

2003-2005 Biology Search Committees (2)

2002 Dean Search Committee, Chair

2001-2002 Education Search Committee

2001-2002 Psychology Search Committee, Chair

1997-2002 Faculty Forum/Senate Constitution Committee

1997 Faculty Forum Nominating Committee

1996-1998 Undergraduate Evening School Advisory Committee

1996-1997 Alpha Sigma Lambda Membership Committee

1996-1997 Honors Program Advisory Council

1995-1996 Psychology Search Committee, Chair

1994-1997 Administrative Council (Elected representative)

 

Courses Taught

General Psychology

Human Sexuality

Child Psychology

Adolescent Psychology

Adult Psychology

Lifespan Development

Social Psychology (online and in traditional classroom)

Psychology of Women (online and in traditional classroom)

Counseling Theories & Practices

Clinical Psychology

Coordinating Seminar

Personality Theory

Mental Health Practitioner

Psychology of Communication

Work & Leisure

Industrial Psychology

 

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Contact

I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact me at the college. Below is my postal address, email address and phone number.

 

Dr. Patrice O’Donnell
podonnell@rivier.edu
Professor of Psychology Rivier College River College Psychology Department

Rivier College
420 South Main Street
Nashua, NH, USA 03060
(603) 897-8271

My office hours for

Fall:

Mon Wed 12:00 - 2:30
Tue Thu 12:30-1:30

Spring:

Mon Tues Wed Thus 12:30 - 2:30

Please call for other times.

 

Favorite Websites

Some links to my favorite websites:

About Patrice

Starting Out

I was born and raised in Nashua, NH and attended local schools. When I was four years old I told my parents that when I grew up I wanted to be a teacher, and I never wavered from that decision.

I received a bachelors' degree in Elementary Education from Keene State College in 1974. There were virtually no teaching jobs the year I graduated, so I worked as an instructional aide in an open concept "pod" (grades 1-3) at Main Dunstable School in Nashua for one year. With job prospects still quite bleak, I decided to move onto graduate school the next year. Between student teaching and my year in public school education, I had come to the realization that I loved children and I loved teaching; but I did not love teaching children! I attended Wayne State University in Detroit, MI full-time for one year and completed a M.Ed. in Counseling. During that year I worked as the director of a pre-school in Livonia, MI.

Beginning Interest in Poverty

I returned to Nashua in 1976 and was hired as a counselor at the Adult Learning Center. I worked primarily with women receiving public assistance and provided personal and career counseling, as well as teaching job seeking skills. I was profoundly affected by this experience as I came to understand many of the complex effects of poverty, most particularly for women and children. To this very day, you do not want to get me on the topic of poverty in the United States unless you are truly interested and have an extended time period to listen to my perspectives.

Becoming a Teacher

I began teaching, part-time, on the college level in 1977. During the very first college course I taught I realized that this was where I belonged, and set out to make college teaching my lifelong career. In the fall of 1978, I taught my first class at Rivier. In 1981 the funding for my program at ALC (and all other federally funded, ETS programs across the country) was abruptly terminated by President Reagan, so I began substitute teaching, in addition to my classes at Rivier, and joined a private counseling association as a therapist. I also started the Masters' in Business Administration program at Rivier, which I completed in 1986.

I accepted a full-time position at Rivier College in 1983. The courses I teach include: General Psychology, all of the developmental psychology courses, Human Sexuality, Social Psychology, Psychology of Women, Counseling Theories and Practices, and Clinical Psychology.

In 1991 I began doctoral studies part-time at Boston University. I got somewhat sidetracked when I became Chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department in 1993 (a role I served in until 2004), but I did finally complete my Ph.D. in Social & Developmental Psychology in May 2005. My doctoral thesis was a comparative analysis of women attending co-educational vs. single-sex colleges.

Progressing into Online Teaching

I am happy to be devoting all of my professional time to teaching once again. I taught my first online class in spring 2006, after taking two courses which certified me as an online instructor at Rivier.  Since then I have also taken an online graduate course in "Online Teaching", attended a national conference, and taken numerous workshops on the topic. I was a member of the Online Teaching and Learning committee at Rivier from 2006-2009. I enjoy online courses, but find them very labor intensive as an instructor; and I appreciate that they are equally so for students.

A Final Comment.

I prefer to have students in my classes address me by my first name, as I will address you in that manner; but you can use the more formal " Professor O'Donnell" or "Dr. O'Donnell" if that makes you more comfortable. You will notice that in the FACULTY INFO section, on the sample cover page for papers, and in my mailing address I have specified the title "Dr". This really is not an indication that I secretly prefer the title! I have used the title in those places because they are more formal in nature than classroom discourse and it is the proper convention to use.

Video and Humor Links

Video Links

Links to some my favorite videos and films that present psychology.

Humor Links

Some links to comic sites that present a humorous view of psychology.