Oustanding Faculty Award 2005 -Dr. Carl A. Ridley
Dr. Carl A. Ridley is Professor of Family Studies and Human Development. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology and an adjunct appointment in the Department of Communications. He earned his B.S. in Psychology and his M.A. in Sociology from the University of Georgia. His Ph.D. was earned at Florida State University. He joined the UA faculty in 1977. During Dr. Ridley’s 26 years at the University of Arizona he has earned an outstanding reputation as a teacher and mentor in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. His scholarly interests include domestic violence, conflict in close relationships and sexual desire in the context of close relationships.
Lindsay Ruddick, a 2005 graduate of the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, nominated Dr. Ridley for the Council Faculty Award. She stated that “Dr. Ridley’s interest and enthusiasm for the subject matter spreads through the classroom. He facilitates class discussions which are interesting and exciting. This provides opportunities for his students to absorb and completely understand the material rather than simply memorizing it.” Lindsay worked on the Desire Research Team. She credits the opportunities afforded to her by Dr. Ridley as very significant in her acceptance into the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program at Kansas State University. Dr. Ridley’s current research projects involve various aspects of close relationships. One focuses on predicting the frequency and severity of domestic violence based on a four component model of interpersonal conflict. Another project examines the influence of “blame attributions” on the course of relationship development with premarital and marital couples. The third continues to study lust in the context of marriage and premarital relationships. For his excellence in teaching and research Dr. Carl Ridley richly deserves the Outstanding Faculty Award.
