Paula M. Caligiuri ’89, PhD, is an award-winning psychologist, distinguished professor at Northeastern University and president of a consulting firm that trains professionals for cross-cultural and international business roles.
None of it, she says, would have been possible without the “sage guidance, support, encouragement and dedication” she received from her two former psychology professors, Judith E. Larkin, PhD and Harvey A. Pines, PhD.
After studying abroad in Rome during her junior year, Caligiuri recalls, she returned home feeling different and in a bit of a slump. The professors encouraged her to “study what she was feeling and why she changed,” and gave Caligiuri an educational push to investigate her experience. That was the beginning of Caligiuri’s interest in cultural agility and international human resources, which led to a PhD in organizational psychology and a career that has taken her around the world multiple times. As a professor of international business and strategy, Caligiuri says even her teaching style is influenced by Professors Larkin and Pines.
“They saw something different in me and I am forever grateful for their belief in my abilities.”
Perhaps the most remarkable part of Caligiuri’s story, she adds, is that it is unremarkable.
“Professors Larkin and Pines have supported hundreds of students in this same way,” she says. “Countless stories like mine exist. With dedication to students, Judy and Harvey have helped them find their purpose, gain self-awareness, build their efficacy and attain career success”
To recognize the difference the two professors made in her education and the education of those who followed, Caligiuri established the Judy Larkin and Harvey Pines Scholarship at Canisius.
“They were true to their science and made whatever material we were studying so much more interesting,” Caligiuri concludes. “The scholarship in their name – awarded to a junior or senior majoring in psychology – celebrates the important role of supportive mentors in unlocking the value of experiential learning.”
