Profile
Cynthia Edwards joined the Meredith faculty in 1991. Dr. Edwards enjoys diverse research interests and particularly appreciates working collaboratively with Meredith students in the development of research projects. She has co-authored a reader in the history of psychology, published in Developmental Psychology, presents regularly at national and international conferences, and has mentored numerous students to national conference presentations. Dr. Edwards is a faculty mentor in the Duke University Preparing Future Faculty program. Dr. Edwards has served in a number of administrative posts at Meredith, but most enjoys working with students in the classroom and the laboratory. In addition to teaching Developmental and Social Psychology, Edwards supervises Psychology Community Field Placements, and maintains an active student-led research laboratory. The transitions from high school to college and, subsequently, from college to career track are considered points of vulnerability for stress and high-risk behaviors in young adults (Dahl, 2013). Edwards and her students focus on the moderating role of social support in creating successful life transitions.
Academic Credentials
Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.A., Psychology, UNC-Chapel Hill
B.A. with honors in Psychology, Wake Forest University
Professional Credentials
Graduate, Institute for Management and Leadership in Education, Harvard Institute for Higher Education, Cambridge, 2008
Research
The transitions from high school to college and, subsequently, from college to career track are considered points of vulnerability for stress and high-risk behaviors in young adults (Dahl, 2013). Rates of clinically significant psychiatric episodes are higAwards
School of Education, Health and Human Sciences, Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Profession and Meredith College, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
Friend of Dorothea Dix Mental Health Community Service Award, Raleigh, NC
Distinguished Alumna in Psychology, Psi Chi Honor Society, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC
Publications
Edwards, C.A. (under review). Leadership and social network centrality among recently acquainted girls in a summer camp. Social Development.
Edwards, C.A., Hall, A.R., & Wettroth, C. (2013, January). Partisan politics, social psychology, and finding common ground. Through a Sustainable Lens, TEDx Event, Meredith College. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4fvZ6vShZU&feature=c4-overview&playnext=1&list=TLX4su7giF3yU
Edwards, C.A. (2012, November). Why has this election cycle been so divisive? (November, 2012), Under the Dome, Raleigh News and Observer.
Edwards, C.A., and Suttenfield, K. (2012, October). Longitudinal predictors and correlates of leadership and community embeddedness in young adulthood: The role of early leadership self-efficacy, social networks, and collegiate involvement. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development themed meeting, Transitions for Adolescence to Adulthood, Tampa, FL.
Edwards, C.A. and Suttenfield, K. (2012, May). Five tips for dealing with post-college shock. FoxNews.com http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/05/26/5-tips-for-dealing-with-post-college-shock/
Edwards, C.A. (2012, February). Lessons Learned: Building a career and a research agenda at a small liberal arts college. Invited address, Developmental Psychology Colloquium, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Edwards, C.A. (2011, March). Emergent leadership among girls and young women: Self-efficacy, chance, choice, and reciprocal socialization. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Montreal, Canada.
Edwards, C.A. (2009). Leading from the Middle, invited essay in Kristi Lahr Pearce, The Associate Chief Academic Officer in Sheying Chen, ed., Academic Administration: A Quest for Better Management and Leadership in Higher Education. Nova Science Publishers.
