Re: [tips] social psychology trade books; need recommendations for project
In a 2007 article for *Teaching of Psychology *on Teaching Psychological Science through Writing I offered a few of my favorite trade books, as of 2006. (Excuse any typos from the OCR scanning of the pdf article, which I'd be glad to send anyone.) Dave Myers www.davidmyers.org www.hearingloop.org Trade Books Sometimes we have an urge to say more than magazine articles will allow. That has been the experience of our colleagues who have written successful and influential general audience trade books. Like many readers of this journal, I have relished and felt pride in books by psychological scientists such as Robert Cialdini, Thomas Gilovich, Judith Rich Harris, Irving Janis, Elizabeth Loftus, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, James Pennebaker, Steven Pinker, Daniel Schacter, Martin Seligman, Carol Tavris, Daniel Wegner, Timothy Wilson, and Phillip Zimbardo. Now our field has been blessed with four successful new trade books, each of which is giving psychology away to large audiences. Schwartz's (2004) *The Paradox of Choice, *which has been massively covered in various media, applies psy~ chological science in explaining why today's world ironically offers us more choice and less satisfaction. Twenge's (2006) *Generation *Me masterfully draws on research and popular culture in depicting the rise of epidemic narcissism, illusory optimism, and anxiety among today's younger Americans. In *The Happiness* *Hypothesis, *Haidt (2006) pointed to a more meaningful, moral, and happy life by interweaving ancient wisdom and modem science. Gilbert’s (2006) *Stumbling* on *Happiness *gives readers a rollicking tour of the new research on people's inability to predict their own happiness. In addition also to Seligman's (2002) *Authentic* *Happiness *and Lykken's (1999) *Happiness, *there arc two more happiness books to come. Emmons (2007) authored *Thanks! How the New *Science *of Gratitude* *Can Make You Happier. *Diener and Biswas-Diener (in press) wrote *Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of * *Psychological Wealth, *the title of their forthcoming report of well-being research. Lest anyone think that positive psychology has com- pletely taken over the discipline, the happiness trade books are balanced by psychologist-authored evil trade books. Waller's (2002) powerful *Becoming *Evil. will soon appear in a second edition. Shermer (2004) offered *The Science af Good *and Evil, Baumeister (1997) contributed *Evil: Inside Human Cruelty *and *Violence,* Zimbardo (2007) has authored *The Lucifer Effect: *Un~ *derstanding How *Good *People *Turn Evil, and Tavris and Aronson (2007) coauthored Mistakes *Were Made (But* *Not by *Me). --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] Martin Bolt
Dear teaching colleagues, I am so sad to report that my friend Martin Bolt, author of many instructional resources for the teaching of psychology over the last quarter century, died of cancer on Christmas morning, with his family gathered round. With gratitude for the generosity of his spirit and the excellence of his work, David Myers P.S. If perchance you have benefitted from his resources and might have a word of appreciation, I am collecting such to convey to his family ( my...@hope.edu). --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] human factors and hearing assistance
TIPS friends, this is slightly tangential to the teaching of psychology. But I can't resist offering you all a personal example of a human factors psychology initiatve that has become my avocational passion: offering hearing assistance that people with hearing hearing loss will use. It's hearing aid compatible assistive listening--assistive listening that, with a simple magnetic hearing loop, broadcasts PA system sound, TV sound, etc. directly to hearing aids. The technology functions with hearing aids rather like wi-fi does with a laptop. Hearing loops have become commonplace in the Nordic countries and the UK, where, for example, it is in the back seats of all London taxis (which have a dashboard mic), at 11,500 post office windows, and in most cathedrals and places of worship with PA systems. It's now also in some 300 west Michigan locations, iincluding all gate areas of Michigan's second largest airport. And it's spreading to other communities, thanks to initiatives in Arizona, New Mexico, Silicon Valley, central Wisconsin, and New York City (which I believe will soon be announcing the installation of hearing loops in its 642 subway information booths). In such venues, and in many home TV rooms, hearing aids have doubled functionality, by serving also as in-the-ear loudspeakers delivering customized sound. (Believe me, it's very cool, and no person with hearing loss who experiences this wants to give it up.) Moreover, the magnetic telecoil receiver for this technology is essentially free to the user. It consumes no power, can fit in almost all hearing aids (and now comes in 60% of them, as well as most cochlear implants), and can also enhance telephone conversation. (Did you know that all landline phones and more and more cell phones deliver not only sound but also an even better magnetic signal to hearing aids equipped with telecoils?) In the USA, our prevailing assistive listening ignores the human factor. It requires someone, if having trouble hearing, to take the initiative to locate, check out, wear and return a receiver and conspicuous headset (which very few people with hearing loss will do). So, how does one change a culture from one assistive technology to a better one? What sort of persuasion and social influence, directed to what audiences, can bring us to a tipping point where a new technology becomes prevalent? FYI, www.sciam.com has just posted an article on this (for which http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=induction-hearing-loop will be a permanent link). For anyone who is interested I have created www.hearingloop.org and posted articles there. A recent international hearing loops conferencehttp://www.hearingloops.org/ hosted by the European Federation of Hard of Hearing People offers additional information and a resolution on behalf of all people with hearing loss. Or write me and I'll send along some recent blog entries with photos and more liniks. Dave Myers www.davidmyers.org www.hearingloop.org --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] extra textbooks, etc.
Hi Beth. I faced precisely the same problem in my office. I subscribe to lots of journals and every few years need to create new space. A decade or so back, I sent back issues of journals to Colorado State to replace periodicals lost in the Fort Collins flash flood. This time I wrote to Walter Lonner, the founding editor of the Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, to see if he might know of a university in the developing world that is wanting to establish or enhance a psychology library. He did . . . a state university in Nigeria that has a young faculty member whom Walt knows from cross-cultural psychology meetings . . . who is eagerly developing the psychology program at his university. Walt, too, had resources to contribute from Western Washington State University (44 boxes in all, joined by contributions from David Matsumoto at San Francisco State, Al Pepitone at Princeton, etc.). The problem is: how does one affordably transport these materials to Africa, now that sea-based M-bags no longer exist for shipping educational materials and the post office only offers expensive air mail? Our answer came from an organization near where I teach whose mission is to collect and distribute books via freight container to developing countries. Although their main focus is religious books, they also will do other educational materials to state universities, such as this university in Nigeria and through it to sister institutions in the area. Their motto: “Converting EXCESS in our world to ACCESS in the rest of the world.” The bottom line: a freight container of psychology books and journals will be heading out to Nigeria in June, supplemented by other materials wanted by their university library (I saw boxes of the Journal of Mechanical Engineering on the pallets when visiting there recently). The overseas freight expense is being donated for this project . . . so, for you and anyone else who might like to do some Spring cleaning, the only expense would be boxing and mailing (likely by media mail) your materials to the Grand Rapids warehouse within the next week. Anyone who is interested can write me at my...@hope.edu and I will send you more information about The Nigerian Book Project as Walt has named and defined it, and where to send the materials. Just one concrete idea for you . . . . with kudos for wanting to serve others. Dave www.davidmyers.org On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 9:41 AM, Beth Benoit beth.ben...@gmail.com wrote: Once again, my bookshelves are overflowing with older textbooks, teachers' manuals, etc. I think the Florida school system is probably overwhelmed with all of the books I sent there a couple of years ago. Does anyone have any use for them, or know somewhere that would be grateful for them? They're developmental, intro., abnormal, lots of child psych., and manuals and test banks for all. Also a lot of transparencies. (Does anyone use transparencies anymore?) Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] psychological science and faith
Dear colleagues, Recent discussions of science-faith tensions lead me to think you might occasionally have a student who would benefit from an explanation of how faith can be science-affirming, healthy, and humane, and of how science can inform faith. That's the intent of my new little book due off the press this month. An overview and some of the content is available at http://davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=139. And feel free, of course, to forward this to anyone who might find it of interest. Cordially, Dave Myers --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: [tips] psychological science and faith
Thanks for your question, Mike. My perspective (as a science devotee and a skeptic of a sort, and as a person of faith) is to assist each side in speaking to the other and in trying to find some common ground. Thus I have sought to offer scientific information and critical thinking to the faith community, and to articulate a science-friendly faith perspective to those who equate religion with the sort of science-denying viewpoint that you mention. Dave www.davidmyers.org On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 4:51 PM, Mike Palij [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:02:23 -0700, David Myers wrote: Dear colleagues, Recent discussions of science-faith tensions lead me to think you might occasionally have a student who would benefit from an explanation of how faith can be science-affirming, healthy, and humane, and of how science can inform faith. That's the intent of my new little book due off the press this month. Perhaps you can clarify a point: are you saying that your book is oriented towards people who come from a science-denier background (i.e., taught to accept the Bible as literal truth) and/or subscribers to the Ben Stein perspective that Science=Nazism? That is, torwards people who think that religion trumps science? Is this what you mean by how science can inform faith? An overview and some of the content is available at http://davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=139. And feel free, of course, to forward this to anyone who might find it of interest. For balance, people on the west coast might consider attending the October 3-4, 2008 Skeptics Society Conference in Pasadena, CA: it includes a session on Origins, Does Science Make Belief in God Obsolete? (panel and debate), and entertainment provided by Mr. Deity. For info, download the brochure at: http://origins.skeptic.com/ -Mike Palij New York University [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
[tips] psychological science news
Dear colleagues, FYI, Wray Herbert, a science journalist who has covered psychology vis U.S. News and other periodicals, is now reporting on psychological science for APS. One outlet for his work is his APS blog that offers easy summaries of new research, at a level appropriate to teachers and their students. See http://psychologicalscience.org/onlyhuman/ Dave Myers www.davidmyers.org --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tipstext_mode=0lang=english
positive psychology interview clips available
Greetings colleagues . . . Michael Frisch at Baylor University welcomed my posting this notice from him about the availability of new interviews with Ed Diener and also with Alex Michalos regarding their studies of happiness. The Diener interview begins with a 6 minute clip in which he crisply answers questions about what predicts happiness (suitable for an intro to psych class). . . and is then followed by a longer interview suitable for a positive psychology class. Both Diener and Michalos are revealed as admirable role models as scholars and human beings. Dave Myers www.davidmyers.org From: Sheila Kearney and Mike Frisch Subject: Ed Diener DVD on How to Be Happy and Diener Oral History 50 For a nominal fee of $9.00, you may obtain a copy of a DVD perfect for classroom or training purposes in which Ed Diener discusses How to Be Happy and Recipes for Happiness for 9 minutes. The DVD also contains a 50 minute oral history of Ed Dieners life and work, including insights from his wife, Carol Diener, Ph.D., J.D., including a dramatic trip to the Virgin Islands in which Ed decided to study happiness only to have his promotion delayed because the topic was not considered scientific enough by some his colleagues. Make your check or money order payable in US dollars to Gallup and mail to: Dr. Sheila M. Kearney Executive Director The Gallup International Positive Psychology Center 400 Eighth Street NW, #1202 Washington, DC 20004 Your order constitutes a show of support for the Positive Psychology Oral History Project of the Gallup International Positive Psychology Center. Thank you, for considering this, Dr. Sheila M. Kearney and Mike Frisch (Baylor University) For a nominal fee of $9.00, you may obtain a copy of a DVD perfect for classroom or training purposes in which Alex Michalos discusses How to Find the Good Life for 9 minutes. The DVD also contains a 50 minute oral history of Dr. Michalos from his humble beginnings as the son of Greek and Italian immigrant parents through a 30 year career in quality of life research that has earned him the office of President of the Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada as well as the prestigious Gold Medal for Achievement in Research from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Councils highest honor.. Make your check or money order payable in US dollars to Gallup and mail to: Dr. Sheila M. Kearney Executive Director The Gallup International Positive Psychology Center 400 Eighth Street NW, #1202 Washington, DC 20004 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: archive@jab.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Shining psychology's light on current events
Colleagues, Might there be some fodder for class discussion in relating psychological science to current events? Here, in case they're of use to anyone, are some possible examples of how psychological science might help illuminate recent events. 1) Seeking to understand how good American soldiers could brutalize Iraqi prisoners, Phil Zimbardo has noted their parallel in social psychological experiments in which decent adults, corrupted by toxic situations, have demeaned and brutalized hapless victims. In these studies, as at the Abu Ghraib prison, evil has been less a matter of a few bad apples than of social forces that can make a whole barrel of apples go bad. 2) The Senate Intelligence Committee, citing another social psychology principle, reported that personnel involved in the Iraq WMD issue demonstrated several aspects of group think: examining few alternatives, selective gathering of information, pressure to conform within the group or withhold criticism, and collective rationalization. 3) Research on group polarization has been invoked to explain the growing chasm between red and blue counties. (The percentage of landslide countiesvoting 60 percent or more for one presidential candidatenearly doubled between 1976 and 2000, reported Bill Bishop of the Austin-Statesman.) 4) In experiments to be reported in the September Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and the December Psychological Science, terror management researchers Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pysczynski and their co-researchers observed a startling phenomenon: bringing terror and ones mortality to mind draws people to strong leaders who assure them of their own nations greatness and their enemys evil. Political strategists take note: When people were reminded of the events of 9/11, their support for President Bush substantially increased. 5) And now our public and politicians are, methinks, demonstrating the workings of cognitive dissonance. Before the Iraq invasion political and public support was largely justified by, or contingent on, the assumption of WMDs. But today, many who would not have supported the invasion (had they known what they know now), are insisting otherwise. Below, fyi, is my effort, within the constraints of 800 words, to offer a social psychological perspective on this curious phenomenon. (This is an op-ed essay in today's Los Angeles Times and possibly for the LA Times News Service.) With all good wishes for the new academic year, Dave Myers www.davidmyers.org - http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-myers27aug27,1,1284580.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions COMMENTARY Seemed Like a Good Idea, and Still Does By David G. Myers August 27, 2004 President Bush has challenged John Kerry to say yes or no whether he would have supported the invasion of Iraq knowing what we know now about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. Kerry told an interviewer on 60 Minutes that he is against the war and thinks the president made a mistake in the way he took us to war. He says what he voted for was an authority for the president to go to war as a last resort if Saddam Hussein did not disarm and we needed to go to war. But, in that same interview, Kerry added: I believe, based on the information we have, it was the correct vote. Kerry's somewhat contradictory answer makes sense, at least from a psychological perspective. That's because we have a hard time traveling back to an earlier date in our minds, subtracting faulty assumptions and recalculating our decisions. The act of making and then rationalizing that first decision changes our minds in powerful and consequential ways. Students of social psychology will recall the workings of cognitive dissonance our painful awareness of information that is inconsistent with our actions. To reduce this unpleasantness, we're predisposed to justify our behavior. Smokers persuade themselves that smoking is a relatively harmless pleasure. Aggressors blame their victims. Attitudes follow behavior. After the Iraq invasion, many Americans were awash in cognitive dissonance. The war's main premise was that Hussein had potentially devastating weapons of mass destruction. As the war began, only 38% said in a Gallup Poll that the war was justified even if Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans believed their troops would find such weapons, and a similar percentage supported the just-launched war. Surely most Americans, and John Kerry and his Senate colleagues, would not have supported the war had they known then what they know now. But when no WMD were found, Kerry and many others experienced dissonance, which was heightened by their awareness of the war's financial and human costs, by scenes of Iraqi chaos, by surging anti-American attitudes in Europe and in Muslim countries and by inflamed pro-terrorist sentiments. Even
RE: Spitzer study on Ex-Gays
In response to Jim's question about methodology of the Robert Spitzer survey . . . After Spitzer's study was presented and massively publicized, we had some correspondence, which included his graciously providing me with a copy of his presentation (which actually left a quite different impression than did the media hype). Shortly thereafter (and in response to queries I was receiving) I posed a synopsis and some reflections at http://davidmyers.org/sexorient/Spitzer.html To clarify his own view, Dr. Spitzer later wrote in an essay for the Wall Street Journal (May 23, 2001) that To my horror, some of the media reported the study as an attempt to show that homosexuality is a choice, and that substantial change is possible for any homosexual who decides to make the effort. . . . In fact, I suspect the vast majority of gay people would be unable to alter by much a firmly established homosexual orientation. Dave Myers --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
websites of possible interest
Colleagues, Some time ago I welcomed ideas for how we could show the world that psychology has made a significant, practical difference . . . via an APA website that is under development. Although this is just underway, you can see what's cooking at: http://www.psychologymatters.org/ Someone recently told me that psychological research contributed to the display and ordering of red/yellow/green traffic lights. Does this ring a bell with anyone? (It would be a cool example of the sort of thing we're looking for.) Also fyi, my synopsis of extrasensory perception and attempts to assess it has been updated and moved to http://davidmyers.org/ESP/ (Although the old site had more than 300 links, perhaps some from course websites of folks on this list, we needed to move it.) Related to this are essays and links related to the powers and perils of intuition, at http://davidmyers.org/intuition/ With best wishes to all for 2003-2004, Dave Myers --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
How psychology makes a significant difference
My thanks for the initial responses to my welcoming ideas for how psychology has made a demonstrable impact (for the developing APA website, http://www.psychologymatters.org/). Ken Steele offers a interesting and useful ideato show how research discounting the Mozart Effect has helped deter the public from pursuing an illusory phenomenon. That led me to ponder other possible ways in which psychological science has made a constructive impact by debunking . . . such as by dampening the marketing of subliminal self-improvement tapes or the usage of projective tests. Perhaps other ideas along this line? Irene Frieze reminds us that the Journal of Social Issues is dedicated to publishing psychological research that has direct implications for social issues. Indeed. Other periodicals, such as the Journal of Applied Psychology and Psychological Science in the Public Interest, also highlight psychologys practical results. Do any highlights from these journals come to mind (remembering that were looking for significant examples-proud moments---of how psychological science has improved our lives, individually or collectively)? Stephen Black offers one such example: the example of Lovaas research to the lives of children with autism, complete with evidence of the impact of this research. This is just the sort of example, with supporting information, that were eager for. Thank much. More ideas are welcome! Dave Myers www.davidmyers.org --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reviews/kickbacks
Thanks to Michael Renner for sharing the Chronicle of Higher Ed expose on professors and departments receiving kickback payments for text adoptions (in one case from a publisher that buys adoptions by paying an inflated sum for reviews). Karen Huffman, Jeff Nevid, Don McBurney, and Gene Walker speak for others of us text authors in saying that colleague reviews are an important part of our revision process. I regard the reviews I receive as a gift not only to me, but to the teaching of psychology and its students. Reviews and editing together enable us to author books that, whatever their flaws, are better than any one of us, working alone, could have written. Bear in mind, too, that reviews may sometimes serve a purpose thats not evident . . . when they serve to balance an opposing review. If you want more on signal detection, and another reviewer wants less, and if the author decides to retain the existing coverage, it may look like your review had no influence, when actually it did get weighed in. The bigger question raised by the Chronicle article is whether there should be any place for kickback payments to induce text adoptions, or whether texts should be sold and selected solely on their merits and appropriateness for one s students. Theres actually a seeming consensus on this question among teachers of psychology, text authors, and leading publishers, at least as reflected in official statements: From the APA Monitor, October 1988 (showing this issue keeps resurfacing): Members of Division 2 (Teaching) have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a policy opposing kickbacks for text selection. The Division 2 policy, approved by 99 percent of those who voted, states that publishers offer of monetary considerations for adopting classroom materials should be refused and that members should make every effort to discourage this practice in their departments. The Textbook Authors Association (now the Text and Academic Authors Association) wrote in an undated open letter to all college administrators and professors that: We recommend that administrators and faculty senates act to prohibit any sales practices involving kickbacks. . . . Kickbacks are sometimes offered by publishers and sometimes solicited by professors. . . . In our opinion, they are unethical and are so potentially detrimental to higher education that they should be banned from every campus. The Association of American Publishers Higher Education Divisions Statement of Principles for College Publishing has declared that: The criteria for textbook selection properly concern only the quality and suitability of the textbook itself and its immediate ancillary materials. . . . College publishers should avoid making any improper inducement to any actual or potential adopter, directly or indirectly, which may be described as a bribe, kickback or excessive commission or free which is contingent on the adoption of their textbooks or their ancillary materials. Unacceptable activities include cash grants, rebates, equipment contributions or money for such to individuals or departments. Dave Myers www.davidmyers.org --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
How does psychology make a significant difference?
Dear Colleagues, As one of his APA presidential initiative, Phil Zimbardo created a task force, which Bob Bjork and I have agreed to co-chair, that he charged with creating a web-based compendium of psychological research that has make positive contributions to the lives of individuals or society. As part of this project, Id like to invite you all to consider: What psychological research displays the importance of our science to society and to our students? What impacts of psychological science make you proud? What might help the general public appreciate the importance of funding psychology? (Note that the emphasis here is not on what are psychologys greatest insights so much as its significant practical impacts.) Already, people have pointed to research that contributed to school desegregation, to Sesame Street programming, to improved police lineup procedures, to airline crew training, to reduced teen smoking, and to effective treatments for specific disorders. See www.psychologymatters.org for a preliminary peek at the proposed website format, and some sample entries and categories. We're aiming for about 100 examples in all, each with its own web page. Think about your own subfield, if you would. Where has it made a difference in peoples lives or in public policy? (What landmark research, and practical result, would you point to?) Im hoping that Tipsters might find this an enjoyable summer exercise . . . perhaps a topic for conversation over coffee with colleagues. Youre welcome to reply to me, but Id also suggest this as a nice topic for our collegial brainstorming and conversation. Cordially, Dave Myers www.davidmyers.org --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FYI--Campaign for a new CREF socially responsible mutual fund
TIPS colleagues, Manchester College psychologist Neil Wollman offers us (and any colleagues to whom we might wish to forward this) an opportunity to support an effort to create a new CREF alternative that not only avoids certain types of companies, such as weapons manufacturers, but also proactively selects companies with socially responsible products and policies. Dave Myers - SOCIAL CHOICE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: Campaign for a New TIAA-CREF A call to invest Social Choice Account assets in companies and community development institutions that are models of social and environmental responsibility Dear Friends and Colleagues: In a New York Times article (January 6, 2002), TIAA-CREF's CEO John H. Biggs said he would support the creation of a new retirement fund that would employ not only negative screens (avoiding certain companies), but also positive screens (investing in companies strong on social responsibility). As such, it would be more similar to a state-of-the-art socially responsible mutual fund than TIAA-CREF's current Social Choice Account. (In the Times article and since, Biggs has voiced opposition to other more proactive ways of investing that would make direct social change along with making a profit. However, we will continue to push for those.) Mr. Biggs made this offer in the context of a challenge: to quote the article, He said he would support creating such a fund only 'if you could guarantee the investors would be there to invest.' He explained that TIAA-CREF would need $50 million in seed money, and that the minimum commitment needed from investors to justify the development of such a fund would be $25 million. TIAA-CREF would provide the other $25 million, with the expectation that it could be withdrawn as the fund grew. Accordingly, we are gathering financial commitments to the new fund from TIAA-CREF participants. The opportunity toward which many have been working over the past few years has finally arrived. We ask that you step up and make a commitment to ensure the launch of this new fund. Here is a chance for our retirement savings within the TIAA-CREF Pension System to make a real difference in the world at large, as well as secure our later years. Please go to http://www.manchester.edu/academic/programs/departments/peace_studies/fund/ to learn more about our proposed new fund and to submit information we need to present to TIAA-CREF. This includes how much of your current retirement savings you are willing to transfer into the new fund, and what percentage of your future retirement savings you will earmark for the new fund. (Some of those heavily involved in lobbying efforts for the fund have already pledged to put a large percentage of their current CREF investments and future contributions into the new fund. However, we recognize the value of proper diversification and do not expect anyone to put all of their money into this fund unless you feel so inclined.) The information you provide will be kept strictly confidential. The website data is secure (requiring username and password). Other than management at TIAA-CREF, the only person who will see the data is a Vice President at Manchester College who has agreed to help. He administers the school's insurance and TIAA-CREF retirement plans, so he is accustomed to keeping personal financial information confidential. It is relatively easy to move current investment assets from one CREF fund to another. If just 0.0116 percent of the assets in the $4.3 billion Social Choice Account were to transfer, it would amount to $50 million. This would allow TIAA-CREF to withdraw its seed money very quickly. More importantly, it would send a clear message that many CREF participants are committed to a more positive approach to investing their retirement dollars. After you visit the website, please copy and paste this message into a new e-mail message with a personal explanation and plug for this effort. Please pass it on to sympathetic friends, colleagues, retirees, and listserves. If you happen to receive a copy of this message but are not a participant in the TIAA-CREF Pension System, you can still help out by sending this message to those who might be and who would likely be interested in supporting this effort. We thank you in advance for your support. Abigail A. Fuller, Assistant Professor of Sociology Neil Wollman, Senior Fellow of the Peace Studies Institute and Professor of Psychology Co-Chairs, Social Choice for Social Change: Campaign for a New TIAA-CREF MC Box 135 Manchester College North Manchester, IN 46962 (260) 982-5346 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- www.davidmyers.org --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
