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SPW/APA Division 35 Fellows Committee invites applications for fellow status.
Fellow status is a special distinction for American Psychological Association (APA) members with a doctoral degree in psychology or a related field, from a regionally accredited institution, who have made unusual and outstanding contributions in the field of psychology. Fellow status requires that a person's work has had “a national impact on the discipline beyond a local, state or regional level" (please see APA's specific criteria for fellow status).
The Society for the Psychology of Women’s/APA Division 35 (SPW) requires that candidates for fellow status demonstrate that a significant part of their unusual and outstanding contributions were made directly in the service of furthering the psychological understanding, well-being, and rights of girls and women, from a feminist perspective (for more information, please see SPW/Division 35's specific criteria for fellow status).
There are two paths to fellow status via SPW/Division 35.
1. - Initial fellow status path: Members of SPW/Division 35 who are APA members, but are not fellows of APA may apply for fellow status in SPW/Division 35 and APA. They are known as initial fellow applicants, and must meet both APA criteria and SPW/Division 35 criteria for fellow status. Initial fellow status applications are evaluated by SPW/Division 35 Fellows Committee and by APA’s Fellows Committee.
To apply for initial fellow status via SPW/Division 35, individuals need to use APA Fellows Online Application Platform. This system allows nominees, endorsers, and the SPW/Division 35 fellows Committee chairs to review and/or submit the required documents online. All candidates' documents must be added to the system to be considered by the Fellows Status Committees. Applicants for initial fellow status need to have prior status as an APA member and SPW member for at least one year prior to fellow application (prior to November 1, 2024). Applicants must be current APA members and current SPW/Division 35 members to access APA’s fellows portal.
Applications for initial fellow status require letters from three SPW/Division 35 members with fellows status, as well as other materials, as described in the APA Fellows Online Application. The APA fellows webpage has resources for applicants and endorsers. One of the resources is a sample endorsement letter indicating the type of information the APA Committee looks for when evaluating applications (see APA’s fellows webpage) for more information, and to access the online system). All initial fellow status materials including the endorsers’ letters must be submitted to the online system by November 27, 2024. Only complete applications will be reviewed by SPW/Division 35 Fellows Committee. Applications receiving a positive evaluation by SPW/Division 35 Committee are forwarded to the APA Fellows Committee for review and vote. The Committee then forwards their recommendations to the APA Council of Representatives for final approval of APA fellow status. Announcements of new fellows will be made at the 2025 APA Convention.
2. - Current fellow status path: Members of SPW/Division 35 who already have APA Fellow status in another APA Division may apply to achieve Fellow status of SPW/Division 35. These individuals are known as current Fellow status applicants. Current Fellow status applications require submission of a curriculum vitae and a letter highlighting the reasons the applicant meets the criteria for Fellow status in SPW/Division 35. Current Fellow status application-materials must be emailed to the Fellows Committee Chair, Phi Loan Le. Current Fellow status application-materials are evaluated by the SPW/Division 35 Fellows Committee and approved by the SPW/Div 35 elected EC. Applicants for current Fellow status need to have prior status as an APA member and SPW member for at least one year prior to application (prior to February 1, 2024).
The application deadline for current “Fellows” is Friday, February 28, 2025.
