By: Morgan Kilger, Features Staff
Photo Courtesy of Morgan Kilger
Stephanie Vogel is part of the St. Bonaventure University psychology department. Vogel teaches Maladaptive Behavior, Personality Psychology, Human Sexuality, Intro to Clinical Methods, Clinical Neuropsychology and Intro to Psychology. She has been a professor at Bona’s for 24 years.
Vogel graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in psychology and later received both her masters and her PhD in adult clinical psychology from Louisiana State University. She is a trained therapist, but found her love for teaching at LSU. She likes to joke with her students as to why she chose teaching.
“I prefer to warp young minds, and I’ll let someone else fix them later,” Vogel said.
She was placed into a teaching position three days before a semester started, due to the professor assigned to the course being unable to teach. The faculty in the psychology department knew Vogel wanted to try teaching, so they gave her a shot. Vogel said the department faculty essentially told her “good luck” and tossed her right in.
The course ended up being developmental psychology, and she was only given the textbook and the syllabus going into the course. As Vogel stood in front of the 350 students she taught throughout the semester, she realized teaching was her calling. However, she liked the smaller class-size setting opposed to a larger setting. She likes to be able to connect with her students, make everyone feel comfortable in her classes.
“I wanted to go to a smaller school where I would be able to get to know my students and be able to mentor those who wanted or needed it,” Vogel said.
One of Vogel’s friends had seen an ad for a teaching position at Bonas and sent it her way. She went through the interview process and has been on campus ever since.
Aside from teaching, Vogel has done research in personality and sexuality. This is an area of focus for her, more specifically in narcissism and academic entitlement.
Vogel said she loves the psychology department and Bonaventure. She has been here for most of her teaching career and loves it here.
