OSU-Tulsa professor named Regents Professor for distinguished service

Amanda Morris, Ph.D., George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Child Development and professor of human development at OSU-Tulsa, was recently named an Oklahoma State University Regents Professor, the most prestigious position awarded to Oklahoma State University faculty.

The honor recognizes faculty who have a distinguished record of accomplishments within their field, both nationally and internationally.

“The most rewarding thing for me personally is working with students,” Morris said. “I really enjoy getting to know them and seeing them grow in their understanding of the science of families and children.”

Her primary research focus is parenting and emotion regulation as well as influences on the social and emotional development of children and adolescents.

“One of my passions is to help at-risk youth and families through my research and related outreach,” she said. “Helping early adolescents learn to manage emotions and conflict is one of my goals.”

After joining OSU-Tulsa in 2006, Morris and colleagues examined how youth at local Boys and Girls Clubs respond to conflict resolution training. Research findings indicated that the intervention program helped children exposed to high family and peer conflict learn to resolve conflicts in a more positive manner.

Known nationally for child development expertise

Morris also helped found the Center for Family Resilience at OSU-Tulsa in 2011 through the Department of Human Development and Family Science. The CFR is a community resource focused on equipping every family to support its members in achieving their fullest personal and social potential.

The CFR also partners OSU researchers with local social service agencies to provide local, state and national policy recommendations to strengthen families.

Along with Dr. Michael Criss, OSU associate professor of human development and family science, Morris last May helped establish Oklahoma’s University for Parents (OK-UP), a statewide initiative to help Oklahoma families strengthen parent-child relationships and build positive parenting skills.

Morris has been awarded the Bryan Close Endowed Professorship, the Regents Distinguished Teaching Award, the Regents Distinguished Research Award and the Early Career Achievement Award for Excellence in Research.

She is widely published in national journals on child development and psychology and is a member of the National Council for Family Relations, the Society for Research in Child Development and the Society for Research on Adolescence. She is a research mentor for the Oklahoma Association for Infant Mental Health.

Morris is associate editor for the Journal of Research on Adolescence and a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Administration for Children and Families, a divisions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

She served as professor at Temple University, Arizona State University and the University of New Orleans before joining OSU-Tulsa. Morris earned a doctorate in developmental psychology at Temple University.