University Times

Richard Moreland, emeritus professor of psychology specializing in the study of small group behavior, died Nov. 18, 2017.

Moreland joined the Department of Psychology in 1978 and was awarded the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1990.

“Dick’s contributions to our understanding of small group processes are impressive and will stand the test of time,” said John Levine, Moreland’s longtime research collaborator, departmental faculty colleague and senior scientist in the Learning Research and Development Center. “He was interested in all facets of group dynamics, and his encyclopedic knowledge of research in both social and organizational psychology enriched his theoretical and empirical work. In spite of his international standing in his field, Dick was a modest person who was quick to acknowledge his intellectual debts to others.

“In addition to his scholarly contributions, Dick was an extremely generous colleague who was always glad to comment on others’ work and to provide references that might be helpful,” Levine added. “His generosity was particularly evident in his willingness to help faculty and graduate students he did not know who solicited his help at conferences and over email. He was a genuinely nice guy with a great sense of humor.”

Moreland was born on March 17, 1951, and earned three psychology degrees: a 1973 Bachelor of Arts at the University of Colorado, plus a 1976 Master of Arts and 1978 doctorate, both at the University of Michigan.

He was co-recipient of the 2012 Joseph E. McGrath Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Study of Groups from the Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research. Besides serving as associate editor of several journals, he was president of Division 49 of the American Psychological Association and endowed the division’s Dissertation of the Year Award.

Moreland retired from the University in 2013. He is survived by his wife Nancy and siblings Dann, Joel and Lee.