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King’s College today announced a new scholarship program that honors Dr. Jean O’Brien, who served the institution for more than 36 years as an award-winning educator, faculty chair, and thought leader in educational innovation, gender bias, and other topics.

The Dr. Jean P. O'Brien Scholarship supports qualified students pursuing degrees in psychology, human resources management, criminal justice, or social work. Recipients are selected based on their work ethic, integrity, and support for gender equity and using what they learn to support those in need.

Dr. O’Brien worked at King’s College from 1984 through 2019. During that time, she became the second female faculty member to earn the highest rank of full professor. She served as a member of the Psychology Department, founding chair of the Human Resources Management Department, chair of the Faculty Council, and director of the College’s Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT).

She was also one of the leaders of the Luzerne County Juvenile Justice College Mentoring Program at King’s College, which started 14 years ago under criminal justice faculty Lou Palmieri and Paul Lindenmuth. The program connects college student mentors with local communities to steer non-violent youth offenders away from a life of crime.

Dr. O’Brien was recognized as a national authority on educational outcome assessment and curriculum innovation. Not only did she make more than 80 presentations on these topics across dozens of colleges and professional conferences, but she also used that expertise as an evaluator with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Public Health Accreditation Board.

Her 19 professional publications also examined gender stereotypes in advertising, processing evaluative feedback, and technology in higher education and industry.

Dr. O’Brien received the Whitman Distinguished Service Professorship and the Rosenn Award for Teaching Excellence.

“After speaking to her colleagues, students, family, and friends, it’s clear that Dr. O’Brien will long be remembered for her expertise, humor, and tireless commitment to equity, fairness, and lifelong learning,” said Greg Morgan, vice president for institutional advancement at King’s College. “This scholarship is both a testament to her legacy and a pathway for a new generation of students to carry that mission forward in the service of the world around them.”

Dr. O’Brien grew up in the Boston, Mass., area and earned her baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she also completed a post-doctoral fellowship. Prior to coming to King’s College, Dr. O’Brien taught as a visiting assistant professor at Bucknell University for two years.

Gifts to the Dr. Jean P. O’Brien Scholarship fund can be made online at .