Rosemond T. Lorona, Ph.D.

Rosemond Lorona came to PLNU in 2019 after earning her M.A. and Ph.D in social psychology from Baylor University. Her research explores how people think and feel about themselves and others, and how religiosity intersects with these perceptions. Her current work focuses on how people perceive and engage in religious or spiritual struggles. She is also passionate about studying mental health stigma and how religious beliefs may influence attitudes about mental illness and treatment. Dr.

2019 Alumni Awardees

APL awardees photo for 2019
Every year during the Homecoming celebration, the Alumni Association honors several alumni and current students.

Holly Orozco, Ph.D.

Dr. Holly Orozco is an experienced leader with nearly 12 years of progressive leadership roles within higher education, and a combined 25 years of academic and professional experience in the field of public health. She has served as a Research Associate, Lecturer, Adjunct Faculty, Assistant Professor, Faculty Lead, Program Chair, Dean (of four distinct colleges), and Vice Provost at both public and privately held WASC and HLC accredited institutions.

Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences

Winners of Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
On October 14, 2019, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. They received this honor for their work using randomized control trials (RCTs) in field experiments to test the impact of various poverty alleviation interventions. While RCTs have been used extensively in other fields of study (often medical) to test the effects of various treatments, their use for poverty alleviation interventions has not been widely implemented. Dr. Wydick recently commented on the award saying, “the only surprise when the prize was awarded yesterday was how soon it came. Usually Nobel prizes are awarded to septuagenarians for a lifetime of work”. All of the Laureates are in their fifties or younger, with Dr. Duflo, age 46, being the youngest Nobel Prize in Economics Science recipient in history.