Ruth Provost
Assistant Professor of Psychology
870.759.4197
Sloan Center for Science & Professional Studies
rprovost@wbcoll.edu
Degrees Earned:
B.S. - Williams Baptist College
M.S. & Psy.D. - Wheaton College
Teaching at Williams since 2004
Areas of scholarship or expertise:
Neuroscience, positive psychology, history and systems of psychology, general psychology
Hobbies and outside interests:
Reading, movies, tv, spending time with family, playing with my dog and cat
Favorite book:
Oh there are so many--how could I ever choose! But I really love The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters, and The Diamond Throne by David Eddings, or anything written by either of these authors.
Why I chose psychology as my college major:
Because I fell in love with the content when I took Mental Hygiene (which today is known as Positive Psychology). I am fascinated by the idea of trying to answer the question "WHY." For instance: "why do people do...?" or "why do things like...happen?"
Hardest class I took in college:
Neuroscience with Dr. Rhoads, because there was a lot of material and crazy hard exams!
Most enjoyable class I took in college:
Mental Hygiene (Positive Psychology) and Neuroscience, because they both challenged and fascinated me. I also really liked Studies in Shakespeare.
Professional & community organizations & memberships:
Southwest Psychological Association (SWPA) (served as Arkansas state representative),
American Psychological Association
Why I enjoy teaching at Williams:
It is my ministry, and I get to teach about subjects that I love, as well as build relationships with my students, faculty and staff, all this in a Christian environment. Simply put, God has given me a chance to do what I love and am passionate about, and I get to do it in a special place with terrific people.