The Ralph S. and Dorothy P. Schmitt Professorship at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences pays tribute to two members of the Case Western Reserve University community. One of its namesakes, Dorothy P. Schmitt, was a charter trustee and the first woman trustee of CWRU. She was elected an honorary trustee in 1969 and served in that role until her death in 1985. Before the federation of Western Reserve University and Case Institute of Technology, Schmitt served as vice chair of Western Reserve’s Board of Trustees.
The professorship has honored Schmitt’s loyalty and dedication to the university since 1980. Aloen L. Townsend, PhD, who holds the professorship today, focuses her research on the roles of middle-generation caregiving women; the impact of cancer and comorbidities on psychosocial quality of life of middle-aged and older married couples; and various emotional aspects of aging.
