Manassas Psychology Faculty Member Sarah Gunnarson Retires

Congratulations to Dr. Sarah Gunnarson, a psychology associate professor at the Manassas Campus, on her retirement.

Dr. Gunnarson earned a BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia and an MA and PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland. Before joining the NOVA faculty full time in 2014, Dr. Gunnarson was a consultant for the General Research Corporation and GEICO.

Dr. Gunnarson was a beloved and effective classroom instructor. One student put it simply: “She is highly knowledgeable and she cares about her students.” She consistently taught Research Methods, a course in which students conducted original research. Annually, she organized a Psychology Research Symposium for students to present their work in a poster session. She also developed and co-taught two interdisciplinary Honors courses with colleagues; one of Happiness and the other on The Brain: Biology, Behavior and Beauty. In 2017, she was awarded the Manassas Campus Edward Anderson Teaching Excellence Award for Full-Time Faculty.  

She had a true heart for students. Art history professor and colleague Dr. Barbara Lash shared, “I had the privilege and joy of sharing a cubicle office wall with Dr. Sarah Gunnarson. Listening to her advise students (for hours!) as well as prepare her classes, was an education in itself. Sarah brought much laughter and insight (those psychology Professors!) to our fourth floor offices.  Sarah will be missed by colleagues and students.”

Associate Dean of Student Success Steve Rakoff shared, “Sarah was an exemplary member of the Manassas Campus CARE team. She possessed a practical as well as theoretical understanding of psychology and human behavior that helped her demonstrate concern for students outside the classroom. I could always count on Sarah to faithfully follow-up with her assigned students and not close the case until the student’s needs were met.”

Dr. Laura Casal said, “Greeting Sarah in the hallway as we headed to class was a bolt of energy. She has a rare combination of warmth, intelligence and common sense that I will miss.” This embodies Dr. Gunnarson as a true colleague on the campus. Among other things, she presented at Brown Bags, served on Campus Forum, co-chaired the Campus’ Faculty/Staff Awards and served on the campus CARE team. She also ensured that the social sciences were represented at the Manassas STEM Day.

Finally, Dr. Katrina Guins added, “Sarah warmly embraced me as my mentor when I first arrived at NOVA. Her guidance and support continued long after I settled in but still needed a little help here and there. I will forever be grateful for Sarah always saying to me, “If you have a minute, I can show you what I did.”

We wish Dr. Gunnarson well as she heads into retirement!

Submitted by:
Molly Lynch, Provost-Manassas Campus, MLynch@nvcc.edu