{"id":3864,"date":"2022-07-05T17:43:59","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T00:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nau.edu\/yuma\/?p=3864"},"modified":"2023-07-13T19:22:20","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T19:22:20","slug":"dr-chris-gore-leaves-nau-yuma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/blog\/dr-chris-gore-leaves-nau-yuma\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Chris Gore Leaves NAU Yuma to Rejoin Family in London"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Yuma<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NAU Yuma\u2019s Departing Psychology Lead and Lecturer: \u201cMuchas Gracias<\/em>\u201d and \u201cAlways, Always Follow Your Heart and Use Your Head\u201d <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please join the NAU Yuma community in saying goodbye to Dr. Christopher Gore, Psychology Program lead and lecturer, who will soon leave this land of endless sunshine for London, full of rainy skies and gales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, another kind of sunshine awaits him there: \u201cFamilia<\/em>!\u201d he says. \u201cMy dear wife and I have been apart now since I moved here in the fall of 2019\u2014with the exception of summers and Christmas break. I also have a son in Norway (only a two-hour flight from London) and a stepdaughter in London.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having lived in the US, UK, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates and taught a broad range of psychology classes at seven different colleges and universities in those countries, he says he\u2019s brought diversity to the NAU Yuma Psychology Program.  And \u201ca lot of life experience, which I have shared with my students,\u201d Gore, 61, adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Students<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

 He also resurrected NAU Yuma\u2019s Psychology Club. Knowing how important it is for students to have a club, he planned to get one going when he arrived here. \u201cLo and behold, I learned that a previous psychology faculty member had already done the legwork, which made it easy for me. I got a core group of psychology students together in the fall of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, and we followed the model that had been laid out before, namely, having a joint NAU Yuma\/AWC club.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fledgling club didn\u2019t see much activity until students returned to campus this past academic year, met in person and heavily marketed the club to AWC. \u201cWe actually went into classrooms and announced the club, had meetings every week or every other week, always had fun team-building and bonding activities, and even had some high school students from San Luis get involved,\u201d Gore says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Students<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

  \u201cThe semester ended with a field trip to the main campus in Flagstaff back in late April. Included in this trip was an amazing tour of the psychology department there. We had an absolutely wonderful group of motivated and highly involved students run the club. It was such a pleasure to go to the meetings and be there with them. It was like a family. I hope they can keep the club running in the future and grow it. It’s a wonderful resource for students interested in psychology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gore also started a first-ever psychology lab at NAU Yuma. \u201cAs psychological knowledge is based on empiricism and the scientific method, having a lab is crucial and also a good way to personally involve students in the acquisition of knowledge through research,\u201d he says. Having worked in a psychology lab for three years as an undergrad, he presented research findings at two undergraduate research conferences and was a co-author on two published studies from that lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn addition to my GPA and GRE scores, it was the research experience that made me stand out from the pack when I applied to graduate schools, so I really wanted our psychology students to have the same opportunities I had when I was in their shoes,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting a lab from scratch takes time and effort, and he regrets that he\u2019s run out of time to develop it further. \u201cHad I remained in the position, this coming academic year would have been the year of a productive lab,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though his wife was going to join him in Yuma, where they\u2019d planned to settle, she\u2019s been unable to get licensed to practice as a child and adolescent psychotherapist in Arizona, he laments.  \u201cShe has a thriving practice in London, though, is fully licensed and credentialed there, and also works as a therapist for the British National Health Service,\u201d he says. \u201cShe is an absolutely amazing therapist. Yes, I am biased! As I don’t need a license to be a professor in the UK, it’s best that I move back and work there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Gore is happy to rejoin his wife and family, he will also miss working and living here. After all, making the switch from London to Yuma has given him both challenges and rewards. One thing he had to adapt to is vast differences in climates\u2014from greenery and cold, wet, dreary weather to sunshine and a hot, dry desert setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnother challenge was the huge increase in responsibility when I took this position,\u201d he says. \u201cI was fully responsible for our psychology program\u2014something I was not responsible for in my previous position. So that was a bit challenging, but also so much fun and exciting!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what was the most rewarding thing about his experience here?  \u201cWithout a doubt, having the opportunity to serve my students and be a part of their growth and development,\u201d he says. \u201cBeing with them at every class meeting was such a huge reward for me. I’m so blessed to have a job\/career that I absolutely love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdditionally, I have never worked with such an outstanding group of colleagues\u2014staff and faculty. All of them have been amazing. I’ve seen it all in academia and am really amazed at how everyone on our campus seems to get along. The staff and faculty are so helpful and kind. Working with everyone has been such a tremendous reward!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says: The numero uno<\/em> thing I will take back is the experience I have had with the Hispanic culture here. My two favorite foods are Mexican and Indian\/Pakistani. Plus, there is something about the Hispanic culture that I just \u2018get.\u2019 Frankly, it sort of reminds me of my wife’s culture as she was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and emigrated to London when she was seven. She’s still very Pakistani, though. There’s an openness, passion, energy, and excitement I find in both cultures. So, I will take what I have learned about Hispanic culture back to London!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe numero dos<\/em> thing I will take back is my experience developing and building a psychology program and the wonderful opportunities I was given here. All of this made a huge impact on me as I have learned and grown so much from being here. The experience I have gained here is invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He leaves students with these words of wisdom and inspiration: \u201cAlways, always, follow your heart and use your head to guide you to the destinations where your heart leads. It’s easy to sway from the path. Always listen to your heart and find a way back. Plus, to borrow from my favorite actor, Robin Williams, in the movie, “The Dead Poet’s Society,\u201d the Latin phrase, carpe diem<\/em> (\u2018seize the day\u2019).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also encourages students to read Robert Frost\u2019s \u201cThe Road Not Taken\u201d in its entirety. \u201cAnd finally\u2014God forbid\u2014 be yourself and love yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked if there is anything else he\u2019d like to add, he replies in the customary border town \u201cSpanglish\u201d he will take back to London: \u201cYes! I will dearly, dearly miss you all. This has been the best job\/academic position I have ever had. I mean every word of that sentence. So, I will pass on what you all have given to me. Muchas gracias<\/em> for giving me this opportunity!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr.<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Please join the NAU Yuma community in saying goodbye to Dr. Christopher Gore, Psychology Program lead and lecturer, who will soon leave this land of endless sunshine for London, full of rainy skies and gales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[12,18],"class_list":["post-3864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nau-yuma","tag-nau-yuma-2","tag-psychology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3864"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8819,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3864\/revisions\/8819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/yuma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}