Drais-Parrillo, Laine named inaugural Liberal Arts Teaching Professors

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Alicia Drais-Parrillo, teaching professor of psychology, and Jason Laine, associate teaching professor of Italian, have been named the inaugural Liberal Arts Teaching Professors in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts.

The new named professorship was created by the college to reward the outstanding contributions of teaching, research and clinical faculty members. All full-time, active non-tenure-line faculty — including those with and without terminal degrees — who have reached the third rank of their promotion ladder are eligible for consideration. Faculty were nominated by their department heads and assessed by a committee appointed by the dean’s office.

Faculty appointed to the professorship receive the title appropriate to their rank — Liberal Arts Teaching Professor of Psychology for Drais-Parrillo and Liberal Arts Associate Teaching Professor of Italian for Laine. Their appointments will begin at the start of the 2026-27 academic year.

They were among 75 non-tenure-line faculty in the college who were eligible for the appointment, which requires sustained excellence within the specific faculty designation: teaching faculty in classroom instruction, advising/mentoring, pedagogical innovation and/or curricular development; research faculty in their field of scholarship or creative activity, as documented by their publication record, grants, awards, citations, and national and international presentations; and clinical faculty in clinical supervision, service provision and/or administration. They also must make significant service and/or leadership contributions at the departmental, college and/or University level.

According to Amy Allen, associate dean for faculty affairs and advancement in the College of the Liberal Arts, the idea for the professorship came from the college’s Faculty Teaching Advisory committee, which she and Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, wholeheartedly supported.

“It was a great idea, and yet another example of our college serving as a leader at the University for faculty support and recognition,” Allen said. “Among other things, it’s recognizing that teaching, research and clinical faculty who have reached the highest rank at Penn State are still growing professionally.”

In addition to the title, Drais-Parrillo and Laine will receive up to $1,000 per year in professional development funds from the college to be used for teaching development, research, conferences, workshops and other professional projects. They’re also eligible for one course release to be used to further enhance their teaching excellence.

Both professors called the appointment a huge honor.

“I don't think any of us do our jobs as teachers because we seek awards or notice, but it is nice, of course, when our students and our peers see us,” Drais-Parrillo said. “I appreciate the appointment and also respect the weight of it, the expectation to continue to grow. … We have a pretty great family of folks in our department who care about the students and the science of psychology. Their dedication and enthusiasm make it easier for me to be optimistic and keep growing.”

“The College of the Liberal Arts has many exceptional teachers across ranks, so I find this meaningful, especially as a sign of strength for teaching faculty and the essential work we do with our students every day,” Laine said. “I am proud to be part of a community that values teaching as central to its mission, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to innovate and contribute to that work. As one of the inaugural holders of this professorship, I also see this as a moment of responsibility — to help define what this distinction represents and to continue advancing interdisciplinary, student-centered teaching.”

Drais-Parrillo serves as the Department of Psychology’s assistant director of undergraduate studies and assistant director of inclusion and belonging. A specialist in interpersonal interactions, social development and inclusive teaching pedagogy, she teaches a variety of courses, including Introduction to Gender Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Interpersonal Relationships and Multicultural Psychology.

Outside the classroom, she has served as the adviser for the University Park chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. The group celebrated its 95th anniversary last year and has had record-setting induction classes the past few years, with 143 new members in the 2025-26 academic year, she said.

Drais-Parrillo also has conducted research on teaching, including a multi-university study on inclusive classroom practices, and a separate one on content retention with colleague Dustin Elliott, associate teaching professor of psychology. In addition, she leads the graduate seminar on teaching psychology and coordinates the supervised teaching experience, with several of her students earning Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) teaching certificates.

Constantly “tinkering” with her courses, Drais-Parrillo said she aims to bring “the science of learning” to her students.

“My academic goal is for students to learn something new but also walk away with more complex questions and wanting to take more psychology classes,” she said. “More importantly, I want to create a sense of community among students, so even a large course will feel more intimate, and students will connect with each other. Having a little fun and creating a space where everyone belongs translates into more learning, more confidence and an enjoyable experience for all, including me.”

Laine serves as director of the college’s Italian Language program. Deeply engaged in online learning and technology implementation in the language classroom, he is the developer of the Italian 001: Elementary Italian course for Penn State World Campus.

An active proponent of study abroad, he has helped lead several of the University’s faculty-led courses in Italy, including the Anatomy in Italy embedded course and the Todi Study Abroad Program. Out of those experiences, he created the course IT175: Italian Language and Culture for Embedded Experiences Abroad, which was recognized by the Forum on Education Abroad for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design.

Laine’s other interests include translation, Italian cinema and contemporary Italian poetry. In 2016, his translation of Ernesto Livorni’s “L’America Dei Padri: The Fathers’ America” was published by Bordighera Press.

In the classroom, Laine strives to create an environment of meaningful engagement, where he and students can have conversations that are thoughtful and reflective. Beyond language proficiency, he wants them to develop intercultural awareness, cultivate empathy and build the kinds of transferable skills that prepare them to navigate a global context.

“The strong emphasis I place on interdisciplinarity encourages students to see how language connects to broader cultural, historical and social perspectives,” Laine said. “This approach helps them recognize how diverse ways of thinking strengthen critical analysis and foster deeper human connection. I aim to create a learning environment where students not only gain confidence in communication but also develop the intellectual curiosity and openness that will serve them well beyond the classroom.”

Allen said the college plans to award two more Liberal Arts Teaching, Research, and Clinical Professorships next year.

“Over time, we’d like to work up to a cohort of eight of these professors, which is about 10% of the eligible faculty,” she said. “We see this as an ongoing opportunity.”