Post-Tenure Reflection

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I realized it has been a long time since I posted here. I thought it would be fitting to post a post-tenure reflection, now that I am about halfway through my first semester as an associate professor!

Earning tenure at James Madison University has been both a milestone and a moment to pause and take stock. The past six years have been full of growth, adaptation, and collaboration. I arrived at JMU in 2019, just months before a global pandemic that reshaped how I teach, advise, and connect with students. Those early years taught me to be flexible, creative, and deeply intentional about helping students find meaning in psychology and in their own lives.

Teaching and advising remain the heart of my work. Whether guiding 300 students through PSYC 101 or mentoring smaller groups in PSYC 211, I aim to help them see psychology as a way of understanding not only individuals but also communities and civic life. My passion for first-year success has grown into a professional calling, one that has led to new programs, recognition, and a stronger sense of purpose as an educator.

My research continues to explore how identity, belonging, and place shape political engagement and social connection. These projects, often collaborative with students and colleagues, bridge academic inquiry with public relevance. I am proud that my work now regularly reaches audiences beyond the university, through op-eds, public talks, and civic initiatives.

Service has also become an important expression of my values. Through leadership in the Scholars Strategy Network of Virginia, co-organizing the Valley Votes Project, and ongoing efforts to foster inclusion at JMU, I’ve tried to make psychology accessible and useful to the broader community.

Tenure has not changed my goals so much as clarified them. I want to continue building bridges between research and the public, between students and opportunities, and between universities and the communities we serve.

I am looking forward to the next five years and beyond!

-Ben Blankenship

COVID-19

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Hello all,

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, our lab is hard at work putting together a study of people’s experiences with the epidemic, their engagement/activism intentions, and how they believe this may affect their political intentions and priorities moving forward. We are very excited about this study and think it can be a great contribution to the ongoing analyses of the impact of this crisis. However, due to funding challenges and social distancing restrictions, sampling will be very difficult. To make this a success, we need participants!

Anyone 18 years or older in the U.S. will be eligible to participate, once the study is approved by JMU’s IRB.

Please follow me on Twitter (@btblaneknship), to receive updates. I will be posting the study link there, as soon as we receive IRB approval. My lab and i would greatly appreciate if you can participate, if able. We would also appreciate retweets and/or sharing the survey with family and friends. Thank you for your interest and support for this new research!

-Ben Blankenship

Under Construction + New Job

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I am excited to announce that I have accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at James Madison University, starting in the Fall of 2019! As a result, this website will be under construction for the next few months. Please pardon the mess as I update things to suit my new role.

For more the most up to date information as I finish up my dissertation and begin this new position, please Follow me on Twitter!

-BTB