» Staff Report

Professor Charles R. Grah has been a staple of the APSU psychology department since he joined the university in 1977.

When asked about his teaching experience here, Grah described his time at the university as “delightful,” going on to say he recognizes the students’ dedication and enthusiasm.

“APSU values teaching and students love it here,” Grah said.

Grah feels teaching is an especially important tool when studying psychology, as it is a complex subject that many students have trouble with.

Grah said he thinks the most interesting aspect of psychology is “trying to understand the thoughts about someone’s behavior.”

“Naturally, we’re going to be interested about the behavior of others,” Grah said. As a psychology professor, Grah attempts to understand the intricacies of the human mind for his students.

According to Grah, a lot has changed on campus since he joined the psychology department 35 years ago.

“When I first started, I knew every single student here,” Grah said.

Grah noted many students now take his psychology courses to educate themselves or figure out things they never knew existed.

He has also noticed the scientific community of psychology, as well as academia, has changed greatly since the 1970s.

“Back then, it was more so (based) on science,” Grah said. “Now it’s about helping people.”

Grah said when he came to APSU, psychology was generally associated with mental illness. As a result, that was the majority of what was analyzed in psychology classes.

Now, the field is more focused on looking in-depth into a person’s mind, rather than reducing treatment to a single diagnosis.