Professor, Counseling and Addiction Studies Department
2011
Bio:
Dr. John Franklin joined Mercy College of Detroit as an Associate Professor and Director, Alcohol/Drug Abuse Studies in 1978. He was promoted to Professor in 1987. Dr. Franklin founded the Addiction Studies program at Mercy College, and was responsible for expanding the curriculum to include both graduate and undergraduate programming. The department changed names and merged with another department so that today it is known as Counseling and Addiction Studies. Dr. Franklin served as the chair of the department from 1978-1995 and 2002-2004.
Before joining Mercy College of Detroit he served as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Springfield College in Illinois and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield. His other experiences include a Psychologist and Treatment Team Leader at McFarland Psychiatric Hospital, Springfield Illinois, Director of Counseling for Brighton Hospital Brighton Michigan, Psychologist Northville State Hospital Northville Michigan, Consulting Psychologist Pathway Family Center, Clinical Consultant and Supervisor Counseling and Psychological Services at Wayne State University Detroit Michigan, and Consulting Psychologist Brighton Hospital Brighton Michigan.
He earned a B.A. in Philosophy (1957) from St. Mary of the Lake University Chicago Illinois, a S.T.L in Theology (1961) from Gregorian University Rome Italy, a M.A. in Clinical Psychology (1974) from University of Illinois Springfield Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (1986) from University of Michigan.
While in the department he taught a variety of courses including Introduction to Substance Abuse, Addiction Counseling, Drugs & Behavior, Compulsive Gambling, Counsel Skills, Gaming Issues, Theories of Addiction, Family Theory and Therapy, Theories of Addiction, Qualitative Research, Recovery Process, and Family Counseling. He also supervised internships, advanced internships, field placements, and provided directed studies.
In 2002 he was selected by his peers as the Distinguished Faculty Award winner. The honor was based upon his work as a teacher and his contributions to the life of the University. He received the Ruben A. Lacy Distinguished Service Award for contributions to the education of employee assistance professionals from Greater Detroit Chapter of EAPA (1989); Outstanding Student Organization Advisor, University of Detroit Mercy (1996); Consultant to the American Council on Education on national certifying exam for addictions counselors (1996, 1999); and, Compulsive Gambling Training Program, Proctor Hospital Peoria Illinois (1998).
Dr. Robert Wildblood, Dean of Professional Studies at Mercy College of Detroit wrote about Dr. Franklin’s teaching “I find that he is a very effective teacher, that students in his class are involved in the learning process, and that his lectures are clear, well organized, and present the information in a manner which is understandable. One of the important features of his class is that students behave in a way that makes it clear that they respect Dr. Franklin and that they know that he respects them.”
The nomination letter noted “Dr. Franklin has a lengthy record of service at the University. Most notably, he has served on the following committees: Tenure and Promotion Committees, Core Curriculum Committee, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Athletic Department Faculty Committee, and the Committee on Academic Procedures. In addition, he has participated and chaired faculty search committees and dean search committees, and he served as the chair of the Department of Counseling and Addiction Studies.”
In a letter supporting his nomination for the emeritus status the author wrote “As a scholar, he added to the body of knowledge in his emerging field. His co-authored volume, For When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong: One Woman’s Story of Recovery from Alcoholism (1988), movingly explored a major social problem and the potential for recovery. Another brief monograph considered the ethical questions involved in screening job applicants for drug use. He published three significant articles, as well, including an intriguing one on steroid use and dependence among male weightlifters.”
He has served on three professional boards that include: the Michigan Consortium on Substance Abuse Education, the Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Specialists, and the Michigan Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors.
Dr. Franklin’s memberships include Michigan Psychological Association, American Counseling Association, American Academy of Psychologists Treating Addictions, Employee Assistance Professionals Association, International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education, International Association for Human Science Research, National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, and American Psychological Association.
The nomination for Dr. John Franklin’s Professor Emeritus honor was approved and conferred by Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D., President of University of Detroit Mercy on August 16, 2011.