This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Retiring faculty members William J. Collins, associate professor of computer science, and Ann V. McGillicuddy-DeLisi, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Psychology, have been elected to emeritus status and will be recognized at the 176th Commencement on May 21.
Collins, who served as head of computer science from 1990 through 2004, has been a member of the faculty for 21 years.
With expertise in libraries for data structures and algorithms, Collins is the author of five textbooks including Data Structures and the Java Collections Framework (Third Edition), Data
Structures: An Object-Oriented Approach, and Intermediate Pascal Programming. His other interests are object-oriented programming and computer science education. He has written numerous articles on these areas for scholarly journals, including several co-authored with students.
Collins has taught courses on problem-solving techniques and principles of computer science, which involves an object-oriented approach to the design and implementation of software systems. In addition, he received curriculum development grants from 1996 through 2002.
The recipient of bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in mathematics from Boston College, Collins earned his master of science and doctorate in computer science from Purdue University. He was assistant professor at Hofstra University from 1973 to 1975 and joined the faculty at Salisbury University as assistant professor in 1975, later becoming associate professor. In 1985 he joined Radford University as professor, leaving there in 1990 to join the Lafayette faculty as associate professor.
Collins prepared the self-study for the application for accreditation of Lafayette’s bachelor of science in computer science program, which was granted accreditation in 2003 by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. ABET is the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. He also served as department liaison to ABET during the reaccreditation in 2007-2009. In addition, he has served as a program evaluator for other institutions seeking accreditation for computer science programs including being team chair from 2000 to 2006. He served on the Computing Services Advisory Committee and was chair in 2003-2004, and on the Committee on the Evaluation and Enhancement of Instruction.
McGillicuddy-DeLisi, who served as head of psychology from 1999 through 2002, has been a member of the faculty for 26 years.
A developmental psychologist, her research is focused on the development of spatial and mathematical knowledge in children, and the influence of family environment factors on the development of children and adults. Her breakthrough study on the age when children begin to take race into account subconsciously when making decisions about justice was published in 2006.
She has authored and coauthored over 40 book chapters and journal articles, including ones in the third volume of The Handbook of Parenting. She is the author of Biology, Society, and Behavior: The Development of Sex Differences in Cognition and co-editor with I.E. Sigel of Parental Beliefs: The Psychological Consequences for Children. Her articles have appeared in Journal of Adolescence, Journal of Genetic Psychology, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Child Development, and others. McGillicuddy-DeLisi has taught numerous courses including adult development and aging, gender and science, and development of social conscience in children. Co-editor of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology from 2002 to 2008, she is on the editorial board of Child Development.
McGillicuddy-DeLisi joined the Lafayette faculty as assistant professor of psychology in 1985, became associate professor in 1990, and was named Metzgar Professor in 2000. Prior to Lafayette, she was assistant professor of psychology at William Paterson College, Wayne, N.J., and was a research psychologist for Educational Testing Service from 1976 to 1982.
Recipient of the Marquis Distinguished Teaching Award in 1996, the Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Award for superior teaching and scholarship in 1994, and the Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Lecture Award in 1991, McGillicuddy-DeLisi was honored with the Lafayette Student Government Teaching Award in 1991 and 1997. She has been the recipient of grants totaling more than $1 million from institutions such as the U.S. Office of Education, National Institute of Mental Health, and National Institutes of Health. Since 2002, she has served as a consultant to the advisory panel for National Standards and Learning Outcomes for the Undergraduate Psychology Major of the American Psychological Association.
McGillicuddy-DeLisi earned a doctorate in developmental psychology and a master of arts in psychology from Catholic University of America. She received a bachelor of arts in psychology from University of Rochester.